


(Come on now) Follow my lead

by amy_lupin



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Alcohol Abuse, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Jealous/Possessive Arthur, M/M, Porn With Plot, Semi-Public Sex, Serious lack of professionalism, unsafe oral sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-04
Updated: 2018-01-04
Packaged: 2019-02-27 23:37:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13258989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amy_lupin/pseuds/amy_lupin
Summary: Arthur has a deal with his sister: he only photographs professional models. However, when Leon's traveling and Gwaine has an accident, he ends up having to deal with a very green and shy – though sharp tongued – Youtuber. Arthur also happens to be straight – or so he thought, until he has to convince said Youtuber that his camera finds him pretty gorgeous and sexy as hell.





	(Come on now) Follow my lead

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from _Shape of You – Ed Sheeran_. I don’t own any of the images used in this fic, they're from multiple of Colin Morgan's photo shoots and scenes from the series The Fall. Their purpose here is merely illustrative.
> 
> Thank you **Matt**. There's always something of you in my fics, cause you can't stop giving ideas and I can't stop making them happen.
> 
> Thank you **Lexi** for going over it and i'm sorry for all the "notebook"s in the way XD

Arthur got out of his Maserati and handed the key to the valet, who waited for Arthur to retrieve his equipment from the trunk before taking the car to the parking-lot underground. Arthur walked between a group of people taking shelter from the rain under the coverage at the entrance of the building, hugging his bag at his left side like a father protecting a toddler. Just when he reached the safety of the lobby, though, someone run into him – fortunately, into his right side.

“Hey, why don't you watch where you're going?” Arthur said, annoyed, turning his body to keep his equipment as far as possible from the gangly boy who had stormed in the building.

“Oh, well, I could tell you the same thing, right?” the boy retorted as he shook his damp fridge out of his face. That said, he walked straight past Arthur, towards the front desk.

“What did you just say?” Arthur asked as soon as he recovered from the shock of the boy's sassy reply.

The boy stopped and looked back at him. “I said you weren't looking where you were going either or you wouldn’t have bumped into me! Now if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment with–”

“Do you know who you're talking to?”

The boy blinked once, twice before pressing his lips in a thin line. “Oh but I do know. I’m talking to a royal asshole. Do you happen to own the building or something?”

“No, that'd be my father. Owain!” Arthur called the security guard which had walked up to them during that brief but heated exchange. He gestured towards the boy with a jerk of his head before proceeding to the lift without looking back.

“Hey! No,  _ wait _ !” Arthur heard the boy's shouts, but the buzzing of his phone in his inner pocket made him delete the whole thing from his mind the next minute.

After seeing his sister's picture at the display, Arthur answered the call with an eye roll. “I'm getting on the lift right now,” he said as he followed the small crowd gathered at the hall inside, acknowledging a couple of known faces with a nod. Most of them were soaking wet and Arthur – with his impeccable hair and dry outfit – tried his best to keep his distance, still protectively grasping his precious equipment close to his body. “Have you looked out the window, by any chance? The skies are falling down, out there!”

_ “Rain or no rain, I have a schedule to follow, Arthur,”  _ Morgana answered drily.  _ “Come straight to the studio. Your tea can wait.” _

Arthur opened his mouth to object, but Morgana had already hung up. Huffing indignantly, Arthur slipped his phone back into his pocket. He walked straight to the studio, as his _boss_ had instructed, and found it almost as chaotic as the traffic outside, with people coming in and out of it carrying furniture and rolling clothe-hangers across the crowded room.

“There you are,” said Gwen at seeing him, leading him to one of the spots prepared for the photo shoot. 

Arthur greeted his assistant, George, who was finishing adjusting the lights.

“Here it is,” Gwen grabbed a file over the closest desk and handed it to him. “Well, you must have heard about Gwaine by now; Morgana said you'd be assuming his schedule too.”

“And how do you expect me to–” Arthur started to question, but someone called Gwen from the opposite side of the room.

“I'm only the messenger,” Gwaine pointed out as she walked away.

“Is it to your liking, Mr. Pendragon?” George asked, motioning for the arranged set with a stiff motion, while keeping one hand behind his back butler-like.

“Great,” Arthur said, without really paying attention to him while taking a quick skim through the portfolios Gwen had handed him. “What the hell?” he said at seeing the photo on the cover of one of them. It was an unfocused, poor quality thing, probably taken by an amateur.

“Can I take off your coat, Mr. Pendragon?”

Arthur opened the file at hand while allowing George to take his backpack and help him strip from his coat. As he suspected, there was nothing inside the folder beyond a chart filled with some information about the so called model.

Morgana approached him with a stern face. “You're late,” she stated.

“Morgana, what’s the meaning of this?” Arthur shook the portfolio he had in hand. “I thought we had a deal about the costs of my working hours being too expensive to waste with amateurs or newbies.”

“Well, you weren't exactly my first choice in this,” Morgana said, frowning her upper lip, “but Leon's covering the Glastonbury show and Gwaine decided to actually break his leg, so that left me with no choice but to trust this  _ very serious _ work to my dear little brother.”

“How can  _ this _ be serious?” Arthur insisted, barely resisting the urge to rub her face in the portfolio.

“In case you had cared to read the file, you'd have known he'll be next month's Avalon cover.”

“What?” Arthur looked down at the file again, running through the information. “Merlin Emrys? Who the hell is Merlin Emrys? I never heard of a Merlin Emrys before.”

“Clearly, you don't watch YouTube, like most people nowadays.” Morgana took him by the arm before Arthur could say exactly what he thought of people who had time to spare with YouTube videos. She took him to a less crowded corner of the large room. “Arthur, today's not a good day for you to go all prima donna on me. You do happen to know how hard we worked to get the contract with Avalon, and I don't care if this is below your capacities as a professional. You'll photograph him and it'll be the best shooting of your career, are we clear?”

“When did I go all prima donna on you?” Arthur asked, outraged.

“ _ Arthur! _ ” Morgana dug her nails in her brother's bicep, making him cringe away, hissing.

“Alright, alright,” Arthur said, taking another look at the boy's smiling frame. The photograph was taken from too up close the camera lens – probably from a laptop – which had distorted his face, therefore it was hard to have a clue as to what he was going to deal with, although there was something strangely familiar about that face. “What's the point in all this?”

“Emrys is a rising star,” Morgana explained, pointing to the – very expressive, Arthur had to concede – number of followers on the boy's channel. “He's the voice of the next generation of voters and his influence is drawing all kinds of attention. Make him look smart, confident and sexy. Always sexy. Think of what you consider to be your best work to this day.”

“Well–” Arthur was about to list at least three of the photo shoots he took most pride in, but was interrupted by his sister again.

“Do better than that,” Morgana said, decisive. “Honestly, Arthur, I'm not kidding. This is the most important job I have ever trusted you with.”

“And when did you trust me with something unimportant, by any chance?”

“Arthur,” Morgana waited until her brother looked up to her. He found an uncommon gravity in her features. “Don't let me down.”

Arthur thought about asking when had he ever let her down, but thought better of it. “Alright, fine. Where is he?” he looked around searchingly, but there was so many people walking around them it was nearly impossible to find someone in particular, especially when one wasn't' exactly sure what to look for.

“Gwen!” Morgana called her assistant when she was rushing past them, carrying what looked like a heavy medieval armour. “Where's Merlin?”

“He hasn't come yet, but–”

“ _ What _ ?” Morgana was furiously punching on her phone in no time. Arthur knew her well enough to realize she was on the verge of making a scene. Gwen should have detected the threat too, for she hunched her shoulders and slipped away quietly.

Arthur rolled his eyes. “I'll make myself some tea in the meantime,” he said, already taking a couple of steps backwards, towards the door, not waiting for his sister's reply. “George, don't let anyone touch my equipment, you hear me?”

When Arthur spun around, however, he bumped into someone who was coming in.

“I'm sorry! I'm so sorry,” said the guy, reaching for Arthur's shoulder as if to steady him. He squinted in recognition, then. “You!”

Arthur was too stunned to answer, looking at the boy – yes, the same boy whom he had run into at the lobby – from head to toe. He was wearing a brown coat which would have looked pretty awful in a good day, but was even worst at the drenched state it was in right now; his hair was plastered to his forehead and temples, showing his big ears; his boots and the hem of his trousers were soaked wet and splattered with mud and the neckerchief he had clumsily wrapped around his neck clashed horribly with the rest of his clothes. Arthur looked up to the boy's scornful face again, hoping against hope that he was wrong about his identity. Surely that lanky guy couldn't be–

“Merlin!” Arthur heard Morgana's call behind him and groaned. “Merlin, what on Earth happened to you?”

Merlin released Arthur's shoulders, turning to face Morgana with an apologetic expression. “I'm sorry, the tube was chaotic and the wind broke my umbrella. Oh, and there is the fact that I was nearly kicked out of the building by the security guard,” he looked briefly at Arthur from the corner of his eye before looking down on himself. “But I can't really blame him for that. I'm a real mess! I hope it doesn't ruin–”

“Don't worry about that,” Morgana said with a reassuring smile. “We'll make you look dashing in no time. This is my brother Arthur, by the way. He'll be your photographer. Arthur, this is Merlin.”

Merlin's smile died out suddenly. “I'm sorry, my what?”

Arthur ignored the boy's afflicted expression, searching for his sister's eyes. “Sexy, you said?” he asked, skeptic. “I know I'm good at what I do, but I never learned how to work miracles.”

Morgana looked from one to the other, clearly intrigued. “Have you two met already?”

“Hardly,” Arthur said, at the same time Merlin said: “Unfortunately.”

“ _ He _ was the one who told the security guard to kick me out,” Merlin clarified before Morgana's searching look.

“Well, don't mind my little brother's bad manners,” Morgana said, taking Merlin by the arm. “Come with me. I'll introduce you to the rest of our crew.” She sent a furious look Arthur's way before heading away.

Fuming, Arthur left to the hall. There was no way in hell he would face this shit without drinking his tea first – preferably spiked, if no one had found the brandy Arthur had hidden under the kitchen sink yet.

.M.

When Arthur returned with a cup of tea in hand, feeling and considerably calmer, George ran to meet him. “Sefa's finishing Mr. Emrys' makeup, Mr. Pendragon,” he said slightly out of breath, as it used to happen when he was worried about their schedule. He sent a quick but longing look at Arthur's equipment, still lying untouched on top of the desk. “Do you need my assistance on anything else, sir?”

Arthur suppressed his urge to pat George in the head – sometimes he looked like a dog trying to please his owner. Arthur knew how much his assistant craved for touching his equipment, but Arthur would never in good conscience let anyone touch his camera. Even if that someone was old, efficient George.

“Anyone else scheduled for this morning?” Arthur asked, instead of answering the question.

“No, sir. Only Mr. Emrys.” George frowned. “Perhaps because he doesn't have any previous experience?”

“Indeed,” Arthur said, sarcastic. He sighed then, sitting by the desk and setting his mug down on a safe distance while he opened his backpack and started taking his equipment out.

George swung at the balls of his feet.

“You may go assist Gwen setting the other scenarios while we wait,” Arthur dismissed him and George walked away with a stiff curtsy.

“Um. Arthur, right?”

Arthur looked up to the person addressing him and it took him a few seconds to recognize the boy standing in front of him. Someone had blow-dried and brushed his hair, making it shine and flick to the slightest movement. There was also the fact that he was wearing something sophisticated, for a change. Different from the old rags he had came in, the outfit seemed to have been tailored especially for him and it made his arms and legs look elegantly long, as opposed to awkwardly lanky. Somehow, the whole picture made Arthur's mood darken some more. Maybe because Morgana had been inconsiderate to the point of introducing them by their given name, forcing them to an intimacy he wouldn't have approved of, given the chance.

Arthur snorted after an evaluating look. “Do I know you?”

“Very funny,” the boy said, frowning his upper lip disapprovingly when Arthur persisted looking at him with a blank face. “Merlin. Merlin Emrys.”

“Oh, sure,” Arthur pretended to have just remembered. “Mr. Emrys. I didn't recognize you dressed like us civilized people.”

Merlin opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to reconsider, pressing his lips back together.

Arthur rose to his feet, taking his equipment with him. “Well, we better get started,” Arthur said, pointing to a blank screen close behind him.

“Er, well...” Merlin looked suddenly embarrassed. “Maybe you should know I've never done this before.”

“You don't say,” Arthur said, sarcastic. “George!” he called, making the boy startle and take a step back.

George all but materialized by Arthur's side the next moment. “Mr. Pendragon, sir?”

“Explain the basics to Mr. Emrys, will you?” Arthur said.

While George talked and gestured towards the reflectors and other equipments and Merlin nodded gravely, Arthur took the opportunity to check Merlin's chart again to see exactly what the magazine needed of this photo shoot. As he feared, the article about the Youtuber was pretty long, which meant that would take the whole morning, if not more. Even if Merlin were to be an experienced model, such photo shoots took time and commitment, asking for a variety of outfits and a few hundreds of clicks to make sure there was at least a dozen decent photographs in the end. With someone completely inexperienced like Merlin, though, that could take  _ days _ of work and twice as many clicks. Fortunately – or unfortunately, depending on the perspective –, the deadline was in two weeks, which is to say Arthur could water down the shooting in smaller doses. And who knows, maybe if he bid time over the next few days, Leon would be back in time to take over and he'd be free to work with professionals like himself.

“Alright, let's see how you and my camera get along,” Arthur said when George concluded his explanation. He positioned his camera close to his shoulder line, ready to frame.

“Hm,” Merlin fumbled with his own hands for a moment, seeming a bit lost. “What should I– H-How do I–”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Just stand at ease for now,” he looked at Merlin through the camera lens for a moment, trying to find the best angle, but then he put the camera down again. “Is this how you stand at ease? Relax this forehead of yours!”

Merlin blinked a few times, his eyebrows frowning, but he soon smoothed his facial muscles. Arthur pressed his camera button, setting off the flash and just like that the boy was frowning again.

Arthur closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “It's just light, you know? It won't hurt you,” he said making the boy glower at him. Arthur clicked again after adjusting the focus on the boy's pouting lip. “Loosen up your shoulders!” the boy obeyed, displaying his long, fair neck. Another click. “Relax your jaw.” Click. “Are you sure you make home videos for a living? I expected more familiarity with a camera from a Youtuber.”

“It's not the camera I have a problem with,” the boy said, regarding him from under his lashes.

Click. Arthur checked the photo on his camera's display and scowled. “George, two degrees eleven o'clock on your six,” he directed and George rushed to adjust the angle on the reflectors. Arthur took the time to look over the shots on his camera display, searching for any faults to point out, however small. He ended up flaring his nostrils, annoyed.

His traitorous camera clearly loved Merlin. The flash seemed to caress the sharp angles of the boy's nearly perfectly symmetrical face, playing lights and shadows at the right places, highlighting his well-drawn and full lips as if gently kissing the corners of his mouth. Even those stick-out ears looked alluring on the pictures. Only the fact that he was obviously uncomfortable brought Arthur some solace.

“Alright, George, stay in position,” Arthur instructed, setting his camera back in place while George wielded a reflexive sheet and moved it with precision, repositioning every time Arthur changed the angle. “Ignore George, Mr. Emrys,” Arthur said, annoyed. “Keep your eyes on me.” Click. “Loosen up your lips and eyes.” Click. “Tilt your head to the right.”

“Your right or my right?”

“Yours,” Arthur answered with an eye roll. “Eyes on me.” Click. “Put your hands in your pockets and lean your shoulders forward. Less so.” Click. “Now, smile.”

Arthur lowered his camera to glare at him.

“You call it a smile, Mr. Emrys?”

Merlin exhaled, crossing one arm over his chest and pinching his nose bridge with the other hand. “You know what? Forget it,” he said at last, lowering his arms and stomping to the dressing room.

Arthur's mouth went slack as he met George's look. “And Morgana says  _ I'm  _ the prima donna?” He shook his head disbelievingly.

“–can't! I'm sorry, Morgana, but I honestly can't!” Arthur heard the boy's voice still close by and turned to see Morgana holding him by the forearms and staring him in the eye comprehensively.

“Of course you can! It's not rocket science, you know? It's just some pictures–”

“I know, and I thought I could do it, but–” Merlin shook his head again and again. “I can't. Not with  _ him _ . Please, can't you assign me with somebody else? Anybody, really.”

“Hey!” Arthur straightened up his back, moving closer to the boy, who spun around to glare at him murderously. “Clearly, you know nothing about this business, but let me explain you something, kid: Morgana can't assign just anybody to an Avalon shooting. Let alone for a cover! Believe me when I say I'm your best option, if not the only one you've got.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Merlin asked, incredulous, then looked back to Morgana. “You get what I mean now?

Morgana sighed. “I know how much of a troll Arthur can be when he puts his mind to it–”

Arthur blinked. “A troll? Seriously, Morgana?”

“–but I'm afraid he has a point here: he's my only option at the moment.”

“But I've never–” Merlin started to object, but Morgana silenced him with a gesture.

“We know you don't have any previous experience with professional photo shoots, but that's precisely what we're here for, to guide you. And we have plenty of time for that. No one expects you to become a supermodel overnight. Look, here's what we're going to do,” she slipped one hand through the crook of his arm and guided him back to the photo set. “Give Arthur another chance. Just this one. I assure you he'll behave himself. After all,  _ he' _ s the professional out of the two of you, right?” she finished with a threatening look at his brother.

Arthur puffed, walking to the desk to take another sip of his – now cold, but still blissfully spiked – tea.

Morgana called Sefa back to touch up Merlin's makeup and restyle his hair, since the boy had ruined it during his fit. “Be a gentleman, will you?” she scolded her brother between gritted teeth.

“I've been nothing short of a gentleman, Morgana. He's the one who threw a tantrum!”

“Be nice, then. Make him feel more at ease. Make up a conversation. Ask about his channel. For God's sake, Arthur, do I have to tell you how to do your job now?”

“Piss off and let me work in peace, then!” Arthur snapped, turning to face the photo set again, where Merlin sat by his own now. “Ready, Mr. Emrys?” he asked, adjusting the focus as he looked through the camera lens.

Merlin sighed. “Call me Merlin, please,” he moved to get up from the stool someone – probably George – had fetched for him, but Arthur stopped short.

“No, no, stay right there. George, adjust the lights. Merlin, put your hands in your pockets again,” he said, but that persistent frown was back on the boy's face as George moved swiftly from one spotlight to the other. “Forget George, Merlin. Take a deep breath.” The boy closed his eyes as he complied, his face smoothing out. “That's right. Now look at me.” Arthur clicked as soon as his request was granted.

Arthur didn't have to look at the photograph to know for a fact that it'd be one of the finalists.

“So... What exactly is your channel about?” He started up a conversation, trying to keep the boy's relaxed stance as long as he could.

“Er... About politics, mostly.”

Arthur moved the camera aside to gape at him. “Politics? Are you having me on?”

Merlin grinned a bit timidly and Arthur framed him quickly, taking some more pictures while the boy spoke. “Yeah, I get that reaction all the time.”

“Well, I was sure you'd say it was something about video games, books, movies... Even something to do with pets would be least unexpected than politics.”

This time, Merlin smiled broadly, showing a row of harmoniously lined up teeth, his eyes nearly closing from mirth. Click. Click.

“Sorry to disappoint you,” Merlin said, still a bit amused. “In fact, I'm not cut out for any of those things.”

“Let me guess, your goldfish died.”

Merlin laughed again and Arthur clicked furiously.

“I never had a goldfish, but my friend Will went on a road trip once and asked me to feed his cat, which happened to be on a pretty strict diet. When he came back, the cat was diabetic from eating leftover pizza.”

“I bet he never let you take care of his cat again.”

“Actually, it refused to leave my door for an entire month!”

Arthur continued making small talk with the boy while moving around Merlin or telling him to move, look this way or that, at times even helping him get to the right position with his own hands. So far, it worked out quite well.

When Arthur was satisfied with the close-ups, though, and asked Merlin to position himself this way or that, things started to get complicated. Merlin often didn't understood Arthur's instructions or simply couldn't seem natural as he followed them.

“Relax your face, Merlin. Your forehead also happens to be part of your face, you know?”

“No shit!”

“Stand up straighter! And– Don't! Don't touch your hair!”

“Alright, alright!” Merlin showed up the palms of his hands. “I didn't touch it!”

“Great, now get back to the same exact position you were before. And loosen up your shoulders! I asked you to sit on the floor, not to slouch like that.”

“You never take that damn picture!”

Arthur huffed in frustration, lowering his camera. Merlin looked exhausted too, in addition to tensed up.

“Alright, that's enough. I'll see what I can salvage of today's shooting.”

Merlin frowned. “That's all?”

Arthur snorted. “I wish. No, Merlin. This is just the beginning. If I were you, I'd keep my morning’s schedule open for the next two weeks.”

Merlin groaned and Arthur felt some kind of satisfaction for not being the only one displeased by the idea.

“Oh, and try not to be late tomorrow,” Arthur added, not missing the chance to pester him.

Merlin sent him an angry look before George offered to show him back to the dressing room.

.M.

The following morning wasn't much better than the first and Arthur ended up suggesting a change of strategy. For the next couple of mornings, Arthur scheduled some experienced models and Merlin had nothing to do besides watch and learn. Arthur also asked Gwen to sort out some of the best portfolios they had, so that Merlin could take home and study the poses and expressions.

Arthur rescheduled two of the best male models they used to work with – whom also happened to be some of his best mates – for Wednesday and Thursday morning. Percival and Mordred were extremely professionals and had completely different stiles.

“Turn around, Mordred,” Arthur said and the boy moved casual and easily, giving Arthur just enough time to photograph the best angles. He straightened the coat he was wearing without Arthur having to point it out. “Great, let's give it some movement now.” Mordred took his jacket off and tossed it over his shoulder. Arthur caught the exact moment before gravity acted on the piece of cloth, making it look like it was flying. “Beautiful. Sexy time, Mordred. Sexy time.” Mordred changed the angle of his face slightly down, just the hint of a smile at the corner of his lips. “That's what I'm talking about. Give me some more, now, come on.” Mordred turned his nose up in the air, letting his jaw hang just a fraction. “Can you hear my camera sighing for you, Mordred? Now show me your curls, come on.” Mordred raised one hand to his hair and shook his hair, turning to the side and looking at him from under his eyelashes in a studied pose. “Eyes on me. Gorgeous. Turn around again. Perfect. Now smile like the naughty boy I know you are. That's what I'm talking about. Hold on a sec.”

Arthur looked down on his camera, running through the last few pictures while Mordred stretched his neck, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“Can I offer you some water, Mr. Pendragon?” George said thoughtfully.

“Later, George. We're good for now, Mordred.”

“Are you sure?” Mordred asked, accepting the water glass George offered him. “Don't you want to do over the jacket one?”

“No need. It's perfect.”

Mordred shrugged. “Okay.” He handed the jacket and the empty glass back to George and started to unbutton the cuffs of his shirt as he walked closer to Arthur. “You never came to the pub with us anymore.”

“Oh, I'm back to teaching in the evenings.” Arthur took the strap from his camera from around his neck and carefully put it down on the desk. “Didn't Leon tell you guys?”

“Yeah, now that you mentioned, I recall him saying something like that,” Mordred nodded, pulling the shirt from under his tailored trousers and undoing the upper buttons. “Why don't you drop by after classes, then? We use to stay late.”

“Sure, I'll show up there one of these days,” Arthur agreed and shook Mordred's hand as they said their goodbyes.

When Mordred headed to the dressing room, running his hand through his locks to take off some of the hairspray, Arthur looked to the side, searching for Merlin's eyes. All along the shooting, Arthur couldn't take his mind off the fact that the boy was there, watching them closely. From the corner of his eye, Arthur was mindful of the smallest of Merlin's movements.

Merlin had watched Percy's shooting – which had been in a medieval style, complete with armour, sword and bulging muscles – from that very corner, the previous morning, not uttering a word. Yet, there was something of a restless about his stance this morning and Arthur thought he knew what it was about. Arthur was no expert on the subject like Gwaine, but he suspected from the beginning that Merlin was gay. The way the boy averted Arthur's eyes now, his face flushed and his lips parted, only confirmed his suspicions, making Arthur scowl.

Not that he had a problem with Merlin being gay, in itself, but there was something quite unsettling in all that, he just couldn't put his finger on it yet.

“So, Merlin,” Arthur said, leaning his hip on the side of the desk and crossing his arms, “you think you can do it now?”

“N-Now?” Merlin stuttered.

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Not right now, no. Tomorrow morning would be great, though. Have you studied the photos Gwen lent you?”

Merlin slumped, then. He reached for his backpack and pulled out the portfolios. “Who are we trying to fool here? We both know I'll never be able to reach this guys' level. I mean, look at this,” Merlin opened one of the files, shoving it under Arthur's nose. It was one picture of Lance dressed as a businessman, carrying a briefcase in one hand and a phone close to his ear in the other one. “I mean, he looks like some posh man about to close a millionaire deal. I'd probably look like a traveling salesman about to be late for his appointment 'cause the tube was packed. Or this,” he showed a picture of Gwaine – from when he used to stay in front of the cameras, rather than behind it – with a lock of hair falling into his eye and a flower held between his lips. “I'd probably look like I was choking on the fucking flower.”

Arthur couldn't help to chuckle at that, his shoulders shaking. Merlin threw the files on top of Arthur's desk and tossed his bag over his shoulder, looking hurt. Before he could back away, though, Arthur grabbed him by the sleeve of the baggy sweater he was wearing. “Hey, wait,” he asked, struggling to keep a straight face.

Merlin shook himself free, but stopped to stare at him, his forehead still creased with clear reluctance. Arthur assessed him closely for a moment, tilting his head to the side, making Merlin blush and look away.

“Do you wear glasses?” Arthur asked, in the end.

Merlin seemed taken aback for a moment, but ended up shrugging. “Only for reading. Why?”

“Bring them with you tomorrow. And your laptop too. And don't be late.” Arthur moved away from the table, turning his back on the boy. “George, wasn't Mithian supposed to be here already?”

“Sefa's finishing her makeup, Mr. Pendragon. Would you like to check on the set in the meantime?”

“Sure.”

When Arthur looked back again, Merlin was nowhere to be seen.

.M.

“So, how's everything going with Merlin?” Morgana asked some time later that same day, while Arthur was photographing Mithian.

“Things aren't going anywhere.”

Morgana sighed. “Show me what you have so far.”

“I'd love to, if only I had something to show you. As I said, though, we haven't made any progress still.” Arthur changed his angle. “Show me some cleavage, Mith. Just like that. Perfect.”

“Are you throwing in the towel then?”

“No, I'm just saying it'll take a bit more time.”

“As it happens, we don't have that much time left,” Morgana sounded annoyed, but Arthur didn't care to take his eyes off Mithian to check on exactly how annoyed his sister actually was. “You have until Monday to show me some quality stuff, Arthur.”

“Monday?” Arthur finally looked up from his camera to stare at her, agape. “You can't just–”

“Actually, I can,” Morgana stared back at him disdainfully. “I know you're not happy with this whole situation, but I'm not willing to risk a deal such as this only so you can prove your point. If you still have nothing on Monday afternoon, I'll hand Merlin to Leon. That's final. Mithian, you look dashing, sweetheart.”

Stunned out of words, Arthur watched while she stomped away, chin up.

.Merlin.

Arthur hummed approvingly at seeing Merlin. He had given specific instructions about the boy's outfit for this morning shooting and wasn't disappointed with the end result. Merlin was wearing a light beige plaid suit, but his hair was shaggy, attenuating the formality of the attire and making it more fashionable.

Merlin didn't appear comfortable in the slightest, dressed like that, but he'd have to get used to it.

“Did you bring your glasses?” Arthur asked by way of greeting and reached out before the boy had the time to answer. “Let me see them.”

Merlin puffed, but took his glasses from his bag, handing it over to Arthur. The frame was slightly rounded at the bottom, neither too big, nor too small.

“They should do,” Arthur concluded, returning them to the boy. “Grab your laptop and follow me.”

Arthur lead the way to the opposite side of the studio, where there was a scenario arranged especially for the occasion. It was an old-fashioned living room with a fake fireplace – which consisted of a screen playing a firewood, framed by a removable mantelpiece –, and a wood carved table. Arthur motioned for Merlin to sit by it.

“Set your laptop on the table,” he said and took the time to arrange his equipment while Merlin positioned himself, awaiting further instructions. “Very well. Now go online.”

Merlin blinked once. Twice. “What?”

“That's right, you heard me. Just go online. Surf the net. Forget everything else for a moment; forget where you are. Pretend you're at home, killing time. See your favorite blogs, you Facebook page, or the news from today, anything you'd like. I'd advise you against porn, though,” he added only to watch Merlin's embarrassment. “Not on  _ this _ shoot, anyway.”

“Prat,” Arthur hear Merlin's grumbling, but grinned before his flushed face as he focused on his laptop again, starting it.

Arthur took a few pictures of the scenery to warm up, giving some last minute instructions to George to better adjust the lights. Next, he started taking pictures of Merlin. The boy was tense, at first, following his every movement from the corner of his eye, but then he seemed entertained by something on the computer screen and allowed himself to be absorbed by it. Arthur sneaked a peek at the screen and found that he was reading an article about some passing laws over the last meeting of Parliament. He snorted, but resumed clicking his camera, careful not to disturb him.

When Merlin's brow frowned in worry, though, Arthur thought it best to intervene. “I saw your new video,” he tried to sound casual about it.

Merlin stared at him for a moment, looking stunned. “What?”

“I said I saw your latest video.”

“You watched... my video? Why?”

Arthur shrugged. Actually, he hadn't just watched Merlin's latest video. He had stayed up almost the entire night watching video after video until there was nothing left to be seen. He had Googled Merlin then, finding him on Twitter, Instagram and a handful of other social media. Arthur learned that Merlin was twenty two years old, had recently graduated on Public Relations and lived in London with his mother. He also found out Merlin was very gay and very proud, but didn't like making a big deal of it. After all, his sexuality wasn't what his channel was about.

Merlin didn't have to know any of that, though.

“Let's just say I was doing some work related research,” Arthur took a picture of Merlin's surprised face and grinned as he put the camera down. “I liked your impersonation of that deputy... What's his face again?”

“Cenred,” Merlin said with an eye-roll, but Arthur noticed the hint of a smile at the corner of his lips. Click. “He's on every news channel, lately. Are you sure you live in England?”

“I have more important things to do than memorize all the Members of Parliament's names,  _ Mer _ lin.” Click. The truth was he knew very well Cenred's name, but Merlin was so much fun to tease that he found he couldn't help it. “Admit it, you got a little bit carried away on the performance, didn't you? That whole thing about arms dealing; I hardly think he'd have said it to Her Royal Highness.”

“I wasn't overdoing it!” Merlin defended himself right away and Arthur made sure he saw his skeptic reaction. “Alright, he didn't say those words, exactly, but they were there for anyone to read in between the lines. Have you seen the guy talking? He thinks himself such a smart ass! And half of the things that come out of his mouth are purely to contradict the House of Commons!”

“Well, I must concede that I may not know him as well as you do. How was it again, the look on his face when the Prime Minister put him in his place?”

This time, Merlin guffawed as he looked up to Arthur – who clicked and clicked again, praising himself for the quality of the pictures without caring to check on them.

“You don't really expect me to show you here and now, do you?” Merlin wondered, half embarrassed, half baffled.

“Why not? Half a million people watched your impression of the guy. Why are you being shy now?”

“It's not the same thing,” Merlin shrugged, looking back at the laptop. “When I'm taping, it's just me and my computer. I can edit it, if I'd like. Or do over.”

Suddenly, Arthur was sulking for the amount of taping that had been cut off from all those videos and that he'd probably never see. Even when Merlin was a complete goof in front of the camera, there was something fascinating in the way he spoke, proving his understanding of the matter, his passion for what he did and his genuine interest for other people. Arthur had also found out in his 'research' that Merlin was being harassed by all kinds of people, from fans to political figures and big businessmen, and now he understood what Morgana had said about Merlin being attracting all kinds of interest. The boy was quite influential with his audience, a true opinion maker, and would certainly be a powerful weapon on somebody's hands, if ever he allowed himself to be persuaded.

Arthur could have commented on something about what Merlin had just said, but the words faded away in his mind as he pictured the perfect opportunity for a photograph, capturing the right moment when some other model dressed in a tuxedo walked behind the scenery excusing himself for the intrusion. Arthur left the intruder in the background and focused the lens on Merlin's face, which was turned slightly down, his mouth tightened only enough to emphasize the dimple close to the left corner of his face.

This time, Arthur couldn't resist looking down to the display of his camera to admire his masterpiece.

It took Arthur some time to return to present time, realizing Merlin had just said something. “What's it?” he asked, clearing his throat.

“I said I need to use the toilet,” Merlin repeated and Arthur asked George to show him the way.

As soon as they were both gone, Arthur looked at the computer Merlin had left unblocked and had an idea. He searched for his camera plug in his bag and plugged it to the laptop. He quickly chose some of the photos and downloaded it, looking over his shoulder all the time to make sure they weren't coming back yet. Feeling quite daring, Arthur changed the wallpaper for one of the pictures and added a note right in the middle of the screen, so that it could jump to Merlin's eye as soon as he set his eyes on the picture.

Arthur closed the laptop just when George showed up at the door, followed by Merlin. He made sure to block their vision with his own body while removing the plug and putting it back on his bag along with his equipment.

“That's it for today, Merlin,” Arthur stated, grabbing the laptop from over the table and shoving it into its owner's arms before he had the chance to sit again

“Already?” Merlin sounded surprised and... maybe a little disappointed?

Arthur dismissed that possibility right after it took shape on his mind. The boy was probably relieved, since he hadn't stopped fiddling with his tie as if he couldn't wait to get rid of it. “Yes, but don't get too excited. I have some things I need you to do. First, I want you to steer clear of the razor this weekend. That's right, you heard me, no shaving,” Arthur stressed before Merlin's confused look. “Second,” Arthur pulled a pen out of his shirt's pocket and looked around until his eyes fell on George. Sometimes, Arthur suspected George could read his mind. Somehow, he was holding a slip of paper as if he had conjured it out of nothing. Instead of trying to find out how George had managed to do it, Arthur put the paper on the table and quickly wrote a few words on it. “Tomorrow, same time, I expect you to show up at this address.”

“Tomorrow?” Merlin asked as he accepted the paper. “Tomorrow’s Saturday!”

“Welcome to the editorial world, Merlin,” Arthur said, reaching for the boy's shoulders and flipping him around until he was facing the dressing room's direction. He gave him a little push before letting go. “Oh, and wear something comfortable, but decent. If you have any.”

With the excuse of grabbing his equipment, Arthur turned his back on the boy with a satisfied smirk on his face.

.M.

That night, while trying to sleep – job made difficult by the fact that he point blank refused to deal with the hard on that persisted since the moment he had decided to look over all the pictures he had taken of Merlin until then, or even admit to himself that there was a cause and effect relationship between both facts – Arthur couldn't stop envisioning Merlin's reaction at seeing the picture on his laptop. Or at reading the note that said:  _ 'How about the boss of the boss of that traveling salesman now? Next lesson: putting things on your mouth without looking to be choking on them.' _

When Arthur finally fell asleep, he had a series of confusing and unsettling dreams.

.Merlin.

Arthur woke up with the same problem he had slept on and found himself forced to solve it during his shower, careful not to create any erotic setting on his mind while masturbating.

When Merlin arrived at his apartment, Arthur had just turned the kettle on, hair still dump for the shower.

“Can I offer you some tea?” Arthur asked as he answered to the door.

Merlin merely blinked, gaping at him. “Why's your name on the buzzer up front?” he asked.

“Because I live here,  _ Mer _ lin. Come on, come inside already,” Arthur left the door open and went to the kitchen while he spoke. “Hang your coat and take off those filthy sneakers.”

Arthur began to prepare two cups of tea, looking up to see Merlin in the middle of the living room, curiously assessing his surroundings. He was wearing the same green baggy sweater he used last Thursday and skinning black jeans. He hadn't shaved that morning, as Arthur had asked him not to, and had a shadow of what would soon be a very impressive beard for someone his age. It had taken Arthur years to grow a decent bear and he had learned to value one when he saw it.

“Why am I here again?” Merlin inquired as he sat in front of Arthur at the counter to drink his tea – with sugar and milk.

“Because,” Arthur said calmly, leaning forward to support his forearms on the countertop, forcing Merlin to abashedly back off, “as you might have already figured out,  _ Mer _ lin, we're not having as much progress as we should; therefore, I found it best to change the approach. I need you to be more at ease in front of my camera, so I decided to give the opportunity for the both of you to spend some quality time alone – you know, something more intimate, without the rush of people hurrying about and talking at the studio. After all, what's better than a little... privacy to build a relationship and establish some intimacy?” He raised his mug to his lips, arching his eyebrows in a meaningful way.

Merlin cleared his throat, putting his own mug back on the countertop and getting to his feet, his cheeks slightly colored. “Alright, but what about makeup? Outfits? Background?” he asked, looking around. “Is George coming too? Sefa?”

Arthur stood up too, taking the mugs back to the sink. “This isn't an official shooting, Merlin,” he cleared out, busying himself with the dishes. “Like I said, it's simply to make you feel more comfortable in front of the camera. I asked George to pick out a few clothes for you yesterday. They're in the guest room. You can change there, if you'd like. About makeup,” Arthur shrugged, “we can do without it, today. And there's plenty of good backgrounds in here, don't you think?” Arthur walked closer to Merlin, looping an arm around his shoulders while guiding him to the living room. “There's the couch, the fireplace, the porch... And, of course, if you want more options, there are the rooms too. The bathroom. I'd even allow you to use the bathtub if you'd like to–”

“Woah, woah, wait a minute,” Merlin took Arthur's arm off of him. “You're kidding, right? Because if you expect me to take nudes, you can fucking forget it. I already told you I'm not cut out for those kinds of stuff and if that's what you're aiming here–”

“Merlin,” Arthur called, crossing his arms.

“–I think you should know that you're wasting your time with me. I'm not one of your models, I don't know how to be sexy like them and–”

“ _ Mer _ lin,” Arthur insisted with an eye-roll. “No one's forcing you to do anything you don't feel comfortable doing. I'm certainly not. My aim here's just the opposite, make you feel more relaxed. The door's open in case you want to leave,  _ but _ ...” Arthur made a deliberate pause, noticing how Merlin seemed torn between looking at the door and at him, “if you choose to stay, I need you to take this seriously. I need you to trust me with this. You might not be like the models on the files Gwen showed you, but you won't know what you're capable of doing until you've tried it. And I'm here to help you with that.”

Merlin finally turned his whole body at Arthur again, although he still looked a bit unsure. “What if I'm not good at anything?” he asked, at last.

“Merlin, do you really think I'd still be wasting my time on you if I thought you had no potential at all?” Arthur raised an eyebrow and Merlin averted his eyes. “I'm the professional here, remember? Let  _ me _ judge what works and what doesn't work on you. Do you think you can trust me?”

After a brief hesitation, Merlin nodded.

“Great. Now go to the first door to the left, put on the clothes I left on the bed and come back here.”

.M.

Arthur started by taking a few pictures of Merlin wearing a hooded sweatshirt, a bit to the style he used to wear on his videos, but of a more adequate size, fitting to his slender and narrow frame. He chose the red brick wall on his porch as background to those. He took Merlin back inside, then, and chose another day-to-day though stylish outfit. Arthur also helped him fix his hair messily, to give the pictures a more casual look.

When Merlin was considerably more at ease, Arthur chose a button-down plain shirt and told him to leave the top buttons open and roll the sleeves up to just above his elbows, showing off his forearms and a glimpse of the dark hair covering his chest. Merlin offered resistance at first, but ended up going for it. Arthur made him sit on the edge of a chaise near the glass window and searched for the best angle to make good use of the light coming from outside.

“Alright, I need you to flirt with the camera now.”

Merlin snorted at that, but Arthur merely arched an eyebrow at him from above the camera.

Merlin became serious in a heartbeat. “What?”

“I need you to flirt with the camera. Think about it as the most interesting woman you’ve ever met and you want to impress her.”

“Um...”

Arthur had to struggle not to let his amusement show as he put the camera down. “Is there a problem, Merlin?”

“Um...” Merlin cleared his throat. “I'm gay.”

“Oh...” Arthur acted like he hadn't anticipated that answer. “Well, we've come to an impasse here, then, for my camera's a she.” He pretended to consider it for a moment before shrugging. “I guess you'll have to flirt with me, then.”

“ _ What? _ ” Merlin squealed.

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Come on, just follow my lead.”

And just like that, Arthur stared to give orders and Merlin showed up to be a very obedient pupil, following his every command and nailing it.

“Lick your lips.” Click. “Bite your lower lip. Just like that.” Click. “Look up at me. Perfect.” Click. “Part your lips and breath through you mouth.” Click. “Now lay down. Slowly.” Click. “Do it again, this time keeping your chin up, eyes on me.” Click, click. “Beautiful, Merlin. Now put one hand on your chest. Slide it down... very... slowly... Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.” Click, click, click. “Show me those gorgeous glistening lips, Merlin. That's it.” Click, click, click, click.

Merlin sat up suddenly, bringing his knees close to his chest and hiding his face between his crossed arms. Arthur blinked a few times to come back to Earth. He could hear the blood rushing through his own veins and felt on the verge of a hard on, like it hadn't happened for a long time while shooting. “What's it?” he asked.

Merlin shook his head, still avoiding to look at him. “I just... need a moment,” he said and Arthur noticed he seemed a bit out of breath.

It wasn't difficult for him to understand what was going on. “Hey,” he let the camera hang on the strap around his neck and sat down on top of the coffee table close by. “It's alright. It happens all the time,” he lied.

Arthur was used to work only with professionals lately, and professional models didn't use to have erections during shooting, unless it was required of them – Arthur had photographed for famous jeans brands which made it very clear they wanted some impressive package showing on the male trousers.

“Alright, let's take a break,” Arthur granted, standing up and taking off the camera strap, aware that he could make good use of some distraction too. “I'll order something for us to eat. Any preferences?”

.M.

  

After having Chinese food, Arthur took his laptop to the living room and downloaded the pictures, showing them to Merlin.

Arthur pointed to the photo on the screen. “You see?” They were sitting side by side on the bigger couch, with the laptop on the center table. “You don't have to take your clothes off to look sexy. It's all in the details: the angle of your face, the shadows, the brightness... It's nothing too complicated. But off course, taking your clothes off helps; so, if you feel tempted...” he shrugged, “be my guest.”

“Of course,” Merlin scoffed, changing for the next image. “This feels so... unreal.”

Arthur tsked, shaking his head and leaning on his crossed hands at the back of his head, relaxed against the sofa rest. “If only your fans saw it. God, if  _ Morgana _ dreamed about this...”

Merlin looked at him warily. “You said this wasn't an official shooting,” he half reminded, half charged Arthur.

“Yeah...” Arthur sighed. “Relax, I won't show these pictures to her. I'm a man of my word.”

Merlin's shoulders loosened up again as he watched the laptop screen. “It's not that bad,” he acknowledged after some time.

“You're welcome,” Arthur grinned smugly.

Merlin rolled his eyes. “How long have you been a photographer?” he asked, bringing a cushion into his lap and hugging it.

Arthur considered grabbing his camera and photographing him right then and there, but shook the thought away, focusing back on the question. “As a hobby, since I was thirteen. Professionally, since I was twenty.”

“Which amounts to...?” Merlin pressed on, acting nonchalant.

“Eleven years,” Arthur rolled his eyes. “Do the maths, Merlin.”

Merlin chuckled, absentmindedly running his fingers through the cushion pattern. “Do you often photograph more men or women?”

Arthur considered the question for a moment before shrugging. “Both, I guess. It's not like I'm keeping tabs on it.”

“Do you have any preferences?”

“Not exactly, no. My camera makes no distinction. It captures beauty and beauty has no gender.”

“It's bisexual, then?” Merlin teased, cheekily.

“Possibly,” Arthur granted, ignoring his inner voice who warned him about the fact that, although it had started as an innocent teasing, it was beginning to get out of hand. If Arthur didn't know himself better, he'd say he was actually  _ flirting _ with Merlin.

It was not like Arthur had never taken work home – taken them to bed, to be precise –, but he tried to avoid doing it, especially after all that happened with Sophia. Yet, he had never been into a guy before, however physically attractive he might be – and Arthur had been trained to recognize and appreciate that kind of beauty, particularly.

“Have you taken nudes?” Merlin asked, still focused on poking the cushion.

“Yes, I have.”

“Both men and women?”

“Both, yeah.”

“Isn't it weird?”

Arthur wouldn't tire of noticing the way the corners of Merlin's eyes crinkled when he smiled, looking at him from the corner of his eye.

“At the beginning, perhaps, it was kind of unsettling,” Arthur admitted. “But there are many kinds of nudes. People hardly get completely naked. Besides, normally there's so much going on at the same time, so many details to focus on and consider... We have to train our eyes to so many things we hardly get the time to be embarrassed. If you could read my mind during one photoshoot, you'd probably get something like: angle, light, focus, light, angle.”

“It's not what it looks like,” Merlin said as if making a confession. “It looks like you're everywhere, seeing everything; the way you talk is kind of... intense.”

Generally, Arthur wouldn't agree to that. But he had to admit there was something uniquely fascinating on Merlin, something that made it all more alive, more fervent.

All of a sudden, Arthur remembered Merlin blushing after Mordred's photo shoot and frowned, trying to recall exactly how everything had unfolded. Dealing with the models was something so instinctive to him, so mechanical, it was hard for him to remember everything he had said. He recalled trying to focus on the sexy aspect of Mordred's shooting, much more than Percy's. Would it be possible that Merlin had been aroused about Arthur's words and encouragements, other than Mordred's look, like Arthur had thought at first?

“You should give her a name,” Merlin said after a long silence.

Arthur blinked, confused. “What?”

“You camera. You talk about it as if it was a person. You should name her.”

“Huh,” Arthur said, taken aback. “It makes sense, I guess. Any suggestions?”

“You want me to name your camera?”

“It was your idea,  _ Mer _ lin. It seems only fair that you christen her.”

“I'll think about it.”

They stood in comfortable silence for a moment before Arthur stood up. “So... Want to try it some more?”

Merlin bit the inside of his cheek, pensive. “Can I have your word you won't show these pictures to anyone?”

Arthur put his hand solemnly on his heart. “I swear on my honor.”

Merlin got on his feet with a resolute expression on his face. “Okay, let's do this.”

.M.

That night, Arthur had no way of escaping the truth as he jerked off after going through all of the pictures again – including the ones Merlin had agreed to take topless.

“Fuck,” said Arthur, wiping his hand off the cum which had spilled dangerously close to his laptop keyboard. He closed the lid next, leaning his elbows on it and hiding his face in his hands. “Fuck. I'm so screwed.”

 

.Merlin.

On Monday, Merlin had a thin and well-drawn beard on his face when he showed up on the agency for his photo shoot. Arthur had hoped against hope that that decisively more masculine look would turn down his attraction for the boy, but he found out the effect was completely opposite; Merlin's beard drew even more attention to his lips, making them seem more striking and inviting.

“Did something happen?” Merlin asked after long minutes obeying to Arthur's every command with ease.

He seemed considerably more confident than last week, as if he had really become intimate with his camera – which was exactly Arthur's plan from the beginning, he told himself, trying to convince himself it was something to be glad about.

“What do you mean?” Arthur pretended ignorance when he knew just what Merlin was referring to. “Tilt your head to you three. A bit more.” Click.

“I don't know,” Merlin shrugged, scratching his nape. “You look so serious today.”

“Do it again,” Arthur said after missing the moment to click on his camera, too absorbed on appreciating the view.

“Do what?” Merlin seemed confused.

Arthur lowered his camera to look at him.

“You have this way of scratching the back of your head when you're unsure,” Arthur mimicked the way he had done just a moment ago. “Do it again.”

“Like this?” Merlin raised his hand to his nape, staring at him with his chin turned slightly down and Arthur grunted, clicking furiously.

He looked down to the display of his camera to check what he knew to be a perfect shot, taking the time to try and regain control over himself.

 

“So?” Merlin pressed on, when it became clear Arthur wouldn't answer to his question.

“It's nothing,” Arthur raised his camera again. “Only a nasty hangover.”

He wasn't lying, not really. He had drunk more than he should the previous night, but not enough to justify his bad temper.

“Tilt your body slightly forward,” Arthur said, leaning forward too, searching for the best angle. “Relax your face.”

Click.

“Shit,” Arthur cursed under his breath, looking down on the display again, his breathing becoming uneven as he did so.

“Did I do something wrong?” Merlin asked worriedly.

“I think that's enough for today, Merlin,” Arthur said, taking the strap off his neck and accepting the water George offered him.

“Oh... Okay,” Merlin nodded, switching from foot to foot. “Same time tomorrow?”

“Yeah, yeah, see you tomorrow,” Arthur dismissed him somewhat harshly with a wave of his hand, grabbing his equipment and heading for the common office at the end of the corridor.

Arthur had just finished downloading the 'official' photos on the computer when Morgana showed up.

“So?” she asked, crossing her arms. “Do you have something to show me yet?”

Arthur motioned for his sister to sit down and turned the screen around so that she could see it. He stood up to make himself some tea, then, while she silently went over the photos. He was annoyed with his sister for putting him in that position, in the first place; secondly with Leon, for not being available when Arthur needed him to be; with Merlin, thirdly, for being so fucking photogenic and  _ charming _ ; but mostly with himself for his reluctance to share some fucking  _ pictures _ . He wished he could keep them all to himself. Yet, at the same time, he needed to prove to Morgana that he'd be able to do it or he'd risk having to hand Merlin over to someone else and he definitely wouldn't allow that to happen. Only by picturing another person photographing the boy he–

“Oh my God, Arthur,” Morgana said then, making Arthur turn to face her, frowning. Predictably, she was examining the last picture Arthur had taken that very morning. “I think we have a very strong candidate for the cover here!”

  

Arthur merely grunted in reply, sipping at his tea.

“Hey, did something happen?” Morgana asked after assessing him closely.

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Nothing happened, alright? Can't anyone have a migraine without everybody nagging about it?”

Morgana's eyebrow rose up. “Alright.” She stood up, straightening up her suit. “Merlin's yours for the rest of the week. That is, if you still want to keep him. Leon should be here this afternoon and–”

“I can handle it,” Arthur cut her off, surly. He shrugged before his sister's suspicious look. “He's already used to me. Who's to say he won't recoil with Leon or anybody else?”

“Right,” Morgana nodded, seeming distrustful. “If you're sure.”

Arthur stood there for a long time after she left, frozen in the middle of the room, staring at the computer screen and trying to get used to the fact that within a week, it was very likely that those same photos would be plastered on thousands of magazines and being shared on social media. He should be proud of his work, really.

“Dammit,” Arthur said, running one hand through his own face.

He shut the screen down and took a deep breath before going back to the studio.

.Merlin.

During that whole week, Arthur managed to behave himself. He realized Merlin had recoiled after his cold treatment on Monday and made sure to be more easygoing with the boy, flirting with him in the same unpretentious way he did with his every models.

Fine, maybe not that unpretentiously.

“Mess up your hair a bit,” Arthur asked.

Merlin run his hands over his locks, shaking them. “Like this?”

“More. Hold on,” Arthur lowered the camera and walked up to him to toss up a lock that insisted in falling back in place. “That's it.” Click. “Show me those kissable lips, Merlin. Make them shine for me. That's what I'm talking about.” Click, click. “Turn to the side now. Look at your six.” Click. “Eyes on me, now.” Click. “Gorgeous, Merlin. Just...” click, “gorgeous.” Arthur put the camera down. “Alright, let's try it a bit less formal now. Take off your tie.”

Merlin loosened up his tie and pulled it off.

Arthur laid his hip on the table, arms crossed over his chest and under the camera. “Are you excited for today's video?”

Merlin looked up. “What?” he handed the tie to George.

“Yesterday's debate was pretty spirited. I can't wait to see your impersonations of Cenred's passionate attack to the House of Commons.”

“Ah,” Merlin shook his head. “This is turning into a bad joke. Sometimes I think this guy's not worth even mentioning in one of my videos. I mean, it's obvious he's only doing it to get attention from the media.”

“Well, it's clearly working. Every news article's today are about him."

“Should I unbutton my shirt?” Merlin asked, already about to undo the collar button, but Arthur raised his hand to stop him.

“No, leave it. Undo the suit's second button, only. That's right.”

Arthur positioned the camera, searching for the best angle.

“I'm thinking about going live next week,” Merlin said in a studied nonchalant tone.

“Really?” Arthur said, not caring to disguise his surprise as he looked at him from over the camera with a crooked smile. “Feeling daring, are we?”

Merlin smiled somewhat sheepishly, looking at him from under his eyelashes. “Well, I've been feeling more confident lately,” he stated, enigmatic.

Arthur was about to click when he thought better of it, lowering the camera. He knew Merlin was flirting back and the thought of capturing that moment on camera for anyone to see didn't appease him in the slightest.  “I've got a better idea,” he said. “Let's give the next picture some rhythm.”

“Rhythm?” Merlin asked, taken aback. “How can you give rhythm to a photograph?”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Just do as I say, Merlin.”

 

.Merlin.

It wasn't without great reluctance that Arthur put the camera down on Friday, swiftly going over the last few pictures of that morning. “Well,” he said with a sigh. “I think we have enough.”

“Oh, okay. I'll see you on Monday?” Merlin sounded unsure as he fixed the sweatshirt's collar back on top of the orange long-sleeved shirt – the least formal outfit he had used on an official shooting. “If you need me to come tomorrow too, it's no problem for me. I don't have any appointments tomorrow. Or even, if you prefer me to go to your place again–”

Before Arthur had the chance to say anything, Merlin was cut off by Morgana's arrival. “So? Are we finished?” she said, looking expectantly from Arthur to Merlin. “I can't wait to see your pictures, Merlin. Morgause's gonna have a hard time choosing only one for the cover.” She held Merlin's chin up affectionately. “And it's no wonder, with a face like yours! Oh, I'm gonna miss you around here so much, Merlin.”

“Oh,” Merlin said, looking down on his hands, seeming to have finally realized what Arthur was trying to tell him. There would be no more shootings. “Well... I'm gonna miss you too.”

“Aww you're so sweet,” Morgana put an arm around Merlin's shoulder and Arthur growled quietly. “You know what, I'd say a celebration's in order. You should come to the pub with us tonight!”

“Um...” Merlin searched for Arthur's look then, as if waiting for his approval.

“Come on, Arthur, tell him!” Morgana instigated after noticing the exchange.

“You know I can't go, Morgana,” Arthur looked away from his sister before he did something stupid, taking the camera strap off his shoulder and busying himself with his equipment.

“Why, you can very well stop by after your classes. Come on, Merlin, I won't take no for an answer.” Keeping her arm firmly around Merlin's shoulder, Morgana guided him back to the dressing room.

While Arthur stared at the both of them with a scowl, Merlin looked back at him from over his shoulder. Cursing, Arthur looked away.

.M.

Arthur knew it wasn't fair to take his frustration out on his students, but he simply couldn't help it. When one of them  _ winced _ before a hardly constructive criticism, Arthur found it best to dismiss them earlier than expected, refusing to admit the real reason of his impatience, even for himself.

He mindlessly packed up his things and grabbed the car keys, driving to The Rising Sun. He honked at the Ford Focus that dared to take the last parking spot on the block, forcing him to park two blocks ahead. When he finally entered the pub, he found Merlin squeezed between Lancelot and Gwaine.

“There he is, guys!” Gwaine said, raising his glass in a toast and downing it's content next. He had his left leg in a cast, stretched out on a chair and his right arm thrown over Merlin's shoulder.

Gwaine's comment was followed by a series of cheers and jokes, which Arthur chose to ignore, his nostrils flaring and his hands forming tight fists. Merlin, for his turn, was flushed, his eyes slightly glassy.

“Look who I've got here, Princess!” Gwaine lowered his glass to pat Merlin in the chest, the fucker. “Merlin Emrys in the flesh!”

“Gwaine has never been so sorry for taking a leave,” Morgana said, slurring her words a bit like she was drunk and Arthur would probably have noticed she was nearly sitting on Leon's lap in case he had cared to take his eyes off of Merlin – who was definitely blushing now, giggling while the others clattered.

“He probably would’ve thought twice before breaking his leg, if he had knew it beforehand,” Lance commented, good-natured, making the others laugh harder.

“Well, I have to say, though, anyone who manages to make Gwaine show interest in  _ politics _ has my respect,” Percy said and proposed a toast to Merlin.

A glass of something alcoholic was shoved at Arthur's hand, who squeezed it dangerously while everyone gulped down – including Merlin, who choked and leaned forward, as the others tapped at his back.

“Aren't you gonna drink?” asked a very flushed Mordred, wiping his mouth on his jacket sleeve.

“I'm driving,” Arthur said, putting the untouched glass down on the table. “Merlin, I think you’ve had enough. Come on, I'll drive you home.”

“What?” Merlin chuckled, accepting another glass from Gwaine, since he had spilled half of his last shot. “No, thanks.”

“It's not an offer, Merlin. It's an order. Come on,” he motioned for the door with a jerk of his head.

Merlin's smile died out, his eyes going round. “What? No!” he said, followed by the other's supporting shouts.

“Oh, don't be a spoilsports, Arthur,” Morgana disapproved.  “Merlin's having so much fun!”

“Oh, I can see that. Actually he's having  _ too _ much fun. He's near alcohol poisoning and you're too drunk to see it. But I can assure you you'll thank me tomorrow when you realize I saved you from having to take your client to the hospital.”

Morgana opened her mouth to object, but shut it up again, frowning.

Arthur turned back to Merlin, then. “Come on, Merlin. Now.”

Despite their friends’ protests, Merlin stood up quickly and nearly lost his balance, looking a bit green for a moment. Arthur was there to support him in a blink, helping him put his coat on and guiding him to the exit with one arm around his shoulders.

“If you want to throw up, now's the time,” Arthur said, watching as Merlin took deep breaths of the cold air from outside, closing his eyes. He laced his fingers with Merlin's over his shoulder to keep the boy's arm from slipping from around his neck. “But if you mess my shoes, you'll have to lick them clean.”

“Wanker,” Merlin mumbled, opening his eyes again. “I can very well hold my liquor.”

“You sure fooled me here,” Arthur mocked, encouraging him to walk. “This way.”

“Besides, I was having fun!” Merlin stumbled and gripped Arthur's collar with the hand that wasn't held by the blond. “You're not the boss of me, ya'know?” Merlin pouted.

“Yet you obeyed me,” Arthur had to avert his eyes from Merlin's lips to look both sides before crossing the street.

Merlin continued grumbling while they walked past two girls staring and whispering.

“Merlin?” One of the girls shouted excitedly. “Oh my God, it's Merlin Emrys! I nearly didn't recognize you with the beard and all!”

The other girl came over too, pulling her phone out of her pocket. “Merlin, take a picture with us, please!”

“Fuck off!” Arthur growled, bringing Merlin closer to him and sending a warning look at the girls.

Startled by his hostile reaction, they took a step back, mouths agape.

“Hey, they're my fans!” Merlin reprimanded when they were already heading to the opposite side of the street. “You can't talk to them like that!”

“Watch me,” Arthur said under his breath, ignoring Merlin's complaints as he lead the way with the boy still gripping his collar to keep himself steady.

“It's not fair! Why d'you have to be so rude?”

“We're here,” Arthur said as they reached the car, relieved. He intended to make Merlin lean on the door to the passenger side to pick up his key from the inside pocket, but ended up losing his balance when Merlin didn't let go of his coat, pulling the blond with him.

Arthur pressed Merlin against the side of the car, their faces inches apart, their legs tangled up.

“D'you know what's worse?” Merlin mumbled. His breath smelt like tequila. “I get rock hard when you talk to me all bossy like that.”

Arthur gasped.

He could have backed off. He knew exactly what was about to happen the moment Merlin looked down at his lips and he could have easily shied away when Merlin pulled him by the collar, since the boy's reflexes were too slowed down by the amount of alcohol he had ingested.

Yet, Arthur let himself be pulled in, their lips clashing a bit awkwardly at first, but then Merlin tilted his head to the side and slipped his tongue in Arthur's mouth and he was lost to the world.

Grunting, Arthur kissed him back eagerly, chasing the taste of the drink in Merlin's mouth as if he intended to get drunk on it himself. It was weird and exciting at the same time to feel the rough scratch of the boy's beard on his face. His hands found its way inside Merlin's coat until they met his jeans, holding him by the narrow hips. Merlin let go of Arthur's clothes and put his arms around his neck, making small contentment sounds from the back of his throat, low and masculine.

Arthur pulled away to catch his breath at hearing laughs and footsteps coming closer.

“You see?” Merlin whispered, keeping his eyes closed. “You had to be such a great kisser, on top of all that? Not fair.”

Merlin's slurred voice made Arthur come to his senses again. He disentangled their legs as he stepped back, despite Merlin's complainant moan, and finally fished the car keys, unlocking it.

“Come on, Merlin.” He helped the boy inside the Maserati and closed the door just when a group of young people walked by.

Arthur took a couple of deep breaths to quiet his heartbeat before walking around the car and taking the driver seat.

“Where do you live, Merlin?” Arthur asked.

When no answer came, he turned to face the boy  and found him with his head hanging to the side, his mouth slacked open.

Cursing, Arthur leaned in to put the seat belt on him.

.M.

Arthur had to put him over his shoulder to carry him up to his place, since Merlin wouldn't wake up. Luckily, there was no one on the lift to watch that scene. Arthur dumped him over the bed-cover on the guest room and took off his shoes, throwing a blanket over him.

With one last look to the boy's relaxed face, Arthur turned out the lights and headed for the kitchen, taking a whiskey bottle from the top cupboard and helping himself with one dose. He was about to put the bottle back away when he thought better of it, taking it with him into the living room.

It was past four in the morning when he felt drowsy enough to go to bed, blacking out in a blink.

When he woke up the next morning, Merlin had already left.

.Merlin.

“ _ Er... Hello, guys!” _ Merlin smiled tensely to his laptop’s camera after adjusting it. “ _ Well, as you know, this is my first live broadcast, so... don't mind if I say or do something stupid. Um...” _ he straightened his fringe and scratched at his beard. “ _ First of all, I'd like to thank you for this,” _ he grabbed something from his desk and showed it to the camera.

It was a copy of the Avalon Magazine with him on the cover, wearing that sweatshirt from the last day of shooting pulled over his head. Arthur sighed at seeing the picture, flooded with mixed emotions.

  

Merlin resumed his monologue. “ _ I got a call from the publisher telling me the first edition was completely sold out by Monday and they had to run another print in a hurry and... wow!” _ His eyes were round with astonishment and he shook his head as if to clear it. “ _ Thank you guys. Thank you so much.”  _  He sighed and reached for the mouse, looking down at the laptop screen. “ _ So, I see that you're pretty excited too, so let's do this already. I'm gonna answer some of your questions now. Let me see... 'I like your new looks.' Do you mean it, jiminy_cricket?”  _ Merlin stared at the camera again, showing off his beard and Arthur snorted, taking a gulp of his beer to hide a scowl, as if Merlin could see him from the other side. “ _ I liked it too. I think I'm gonna keep it for a while.” _ He looked down at the screen again. “ _ Come on, next one... babydory's asking: 'When did you realize you were gay?'. Um,”  _ Merlin thought for a moment. “ _ When I was watching Disney movies and picturing myself as the princess, maybe? I don't know.”  _ He laughed, somewhat carefree. “ _ I don't think there was a big realization or something. I've always known, I guess. Next question. Flounderthefish asked 'Are you free?'. Um,”  _ Merlin frowned, looking bashful.

Arthur let out an affronted sound. “Nosy buggers,” Arthur took another gulp of his beer.

“ _ Well, if you mean if I'm single, then yes, I am. I wouldn't say I'm free though, 'cause it sounds like anyone could come over and take me out, which isn't how it works, _ ” he smiled a bit tensely.

“Of course not,” Arthur agreed promptly, unbelieving. “What kind of nickname's that, anyway?”

“ _ Woah, calm down, guys! One at a time! Let me see... wonder_alice wants to know who was that obnoxious blond guy _ –”

Merlin cut himself short, his eyes widening, his mouth hanging open for a moment while his eyes run through the page. Arthur leaned forward, remembering the two girls asking for Merlin's picture in front of the pub. A whole week had gone by since that incident; a whole week without photographing Merlin; a whole week fighting back the urge to call him or text him on the number Arthur had taken from Merlin's form on his portfolio and added to his own phone.

What would he say, after all? 'So, Merlin, I don't know if you remember, since you were drunk like a skunk at the time, but I really enjoyed kissing you, even though I'm not gay or something, and I'd like to try it again, preferably without you passing out right after.'

“ _ Er... _ ” Merlin cleared his throat, facing the camera again. “ _ Okay, here's the deal: no more personal questions. I already said my channel's not about me, but about democracy and about the future of our society, our nation. From now on, I'll only answer questions about politics or other relevant matters as such. Come one, do your best.” _

Arthur slacked against the sofa rest, relieved and disappointed at the same time.

.Merlin.

“Alright, guys, that's all for today.” Arthur clapped once to call his students attention. “We'll start with some movement tips on Monday. Make sure to be here on time.”

He bid farewell to his class and got distracted with his camera for a moment while they left, startling at hearing a soft knock on his door.

“Am I interrupting something?”

“Merlin!” Arthur said, straightening his back and running a hand through his hair on an instinctive gesture. “What're you doing here?”

“Er...” Merlin looked embarrassed, slipping his hands in his pockets and Arthur realized – a bit too late – that he had sounded pretty harsh. “I'm sorry. I can leave, if I'm getting on your way–”

“No, not at all,” Arthur recovered his manners, gesturing for Merlin to come closer while he finished putting his equipment together. “Come in. And close the door behind you.”

Merlin shut the door, muffling the noise from people walking around the busy corridors outside. He was wearing a blue sweater which singled out his eyes and a slim-fit jeans. Arthur didn't know for sure if he was more amazed by the choice of outfit or by the way Merlin looked even more gorgeous than he remembered.

“I stopped by at the agency today and Morgana said you took the day off,” Merlin explained, keeping his hands in his pockets and a respectful distance between them. “She told me I could find you here, tonight.”

“Did something happen?” Arthur asked, trying to think of a reason why Merlin would have come looking for him.

“No, nothing happened.” Merlin looked down, swinging at the balls of his feet. “I just wanted to... thank you, I guess. We didn't really have a chance to talk last Friday and I wanted to... I wanted to say I really appreciated the end result of the shooting and... all you did for me.”

Arthur frowned, crossing his arms and standing with his legs apart. “And what have I done for you, exactly?”

“I don't know.” Merlin shrugged. “You made me feel more... comfortable in my own skin. I never figured I could be on the cover of a magazine – let alone Avalon –, and not want to die of embarrassment from it. I made a live broadcast this week, something I never thought I could do and... it wasn't bad, actually.”

“Well,” Arthur smirked, mimicking Merlin's pose as he slipped his hands in his own pockets. “In that case, you're welcome.”

Merlin nodded, showing a tight smile. “Also, I realized I'm in debt to you.”

“What?”

“I never christened your camera.”

“Oh.” Arthur laughed, genuinely surprised. “You thought of a name, then.”

Merlin nodded again. “Aithusa.”

Arthur frowned. “It's... unusual. Any special reasons?”

“No,” Merlin shrugged. “I just think it suits her.”

Arthur pretended to consider it for a moment. “Alright, it's a good name. I approve it.”

“Great!” Merlin rocked on his feet again, then took a small step forward. “I er... I also wanted to thank you for Friday night,” he pulled a face. “I shouldn't have ran away like I did in the morning, but I kind of... freaked out, I guess. I don't recall exactly what happened, but,” he averted his eyes, swallowing audibly, “I'm quite sure I said some stupid things and... you were pretty decent, even though I... You know. It's just you're so...  _ intense _ , I kind of... I-I kind of mixed up things? But I know you act like that with everyone. I mean, I saw you with Mordred and... it's not like I'm special or something, but–”

It took a while for Arthur to make sense of the whole speech, but the pieces started to slowly fit in together and that, added to the fact that Merlin looked pretty adorable struggling with the words like that, made Arthur take action, closing the distance between them and shutting him up with a kiss.

Merlin let out a cry of surprise, but soon corresponded to the kiss enthusiastically. Arthur forced him to take a couple of steps back until his back hit the wall and then pressed himself flush against him. This time, there was no alcohol taste, only Merlin, and Arthur didn't hold back, slipping his hand up Merlin's sweater and undershirt, meeting hot and smooth skin underneath it. Merlin's fingers were digging on Arthur's back, his arms fit under the blond's armpits, stopping him from backing off.

“Arthur,” Merlin panted in between kisses when Arthur pushed one thigh between his legs, finding him as hard as himself. Instead of feeling repelled by that ultimate proof of Merlin's masculinity, though, Arthur found himself even more turned on.

Arthur's tongue tangled on Merlin's and he felt the vibration of the boy's moans while moving his hips just enough to create some friction, sliding his hands down the back of Merlin's jeans and groping his ass. Arthur envisioned how it'd be touching him there with no layer of cloth between them, feeling the hard and tensed up muscles under his fingers. He had fantasized with Merlin naked enough times, not holding back from imagining the dark hair covering his legs and chest, and couldn't help wondering if he had pictured it right. He wanted to undress him completely, bend him over his desk and–

“I wanna blow you,” Merlin said into his lips and Arthur grunted, touching his forehead to Merlin's shoulder when he moved his lips closer to his ear. “Can I blow you? Please...”

“I...” Arthur swallowed dry, backing off just enough to look him in the eye, but keeping their hips stuck together. “I have no condom with me now.”

“I don't mind,” Merlin slid his hands around Arthur's hips, slipping one of them between them to squeeze his erection over his jeans. “I wanna taste you.”

“God, Merlin,” Arthur gasped, rutting against his hand.

“Can I?”

Instead of answering, Arthur flipped them around, leaning on the wall and keeping Merlin in front of him. “On your knees, Merlin,” he said into Merlin's ear.

Merlin groaned before complying. His knees hit the floor with a thud and he struggled with Arthur's belt for a moment before finally opening it. He lowered Arthur's jeans and pants halfway to his thighs with a swift move.

Merlin held Arthur's leaking cock reverently, stroking the length while nuzzling at his groin, taking in his smell.

Arthur swallowed down a curse, his cock twitching when Merlin's hot and moist tongue liked its way from the base to the head, playing with the inner side for a moment, right on the border of his glans. Arthur's hands slid through the wall like claws, searching for something to grasp on, though to no avail. Merlin held his shaft and slid the glans inside his mouth, his moan reflecting on Arthur's balls.

This time, Arthur cursed out loud, his hips moving forward instinctively. Merlin backed off, releasing him and licking him provocatively, this time searching for his eyes before wrapping his lips around him again. Arthur's pulse sped up before that vision: Merlin's flushed and hollow cheeks; his red lips stretched around Arthur's cock while he bobbed his head, taking him deeper at every move; his pupils blown wide as if he was  _ loving _ every second of it.

And maybe he really was loving it, Arthur though, closing his eyes before the intensity of the scene, added to the feeling of Merlin's throat closing around his cockhead. No one had ever touched and tasted him like that before.

Merlin withdrew a bit and Arthur noticed when he took a deep breath, now that the way was clear again. He resumed bobbing his head again in shorter, rhythmic movements and Arthur felt the slightly rough drag of his tongue over that sensitive spot at the inner side of his glans. If he kept going like that, Arthur wouldn't last much.

“Eyes on me, Merlin,” Arthur said huskily and Merlin's eyes fixed on his again, the corners moist with tears. Arthur wished he had his camera in hand to capture that moment. He imagined himself framing Merlin's face from that angle and click-clicking it.

He probably wouldn't last at all, like this.

Arthur's breathing came out ragged as he fought to keep his hip and hands still, but Merlin seemed to have realized his struggle, taking one of his hands and bringing it on top of his own head. Arthur gripped at Merlin's hair with both hands, encouraging him to speed up the pace. Not long after that, Merlin uttered a noise from deep down his throat and backed off again.

“You can fuck my mouth,” he said and swallowed him almost whole again.

“Fuck,” Arthur held Merlin's head in place, fucking his mouth with sure, steady jerks of his hips. “Fuck, I'm gonna come,” Arthur warned.

He intended to stop before it was too late, but Merlin reached for one of Arthur's hand on top of his head and grasped Arthur's jeans possessively to keep him from moving away–

Next thing, Arthur was coming down Merlin's throat, keeping him still while the overwhelming tides of his orgasm ran through his every nerve ending. Merlin kept his eyes fixed on him through it all, his throat working as he swallowed every drop until it became too much. Arthur let go of Merlin's hair then, pulling out of his mouth and leaning on the wall, panting.

Merlin wiped the tear tracks and the saliva gathering at the corners of his mouth as he got to his feet, helping Arthur fix his clothes back on, his breathing uneven too. Arthur eyed the front of Merlin's jeans, where the outline of his erection was visible. He opened his mouth to say he wouldn't know how to reciprocate, but he could give him a hand, if Merlin would like him to.

“I'm straight,” came out of his mouth instead.

Merlin stopped trying to buckle up his belt, staring at him for a moment. “Oh,” he said as he backed off, clearly taken aback. His lips were red and puffy, his eyes wide open. He moved his mouth as if trying to say something, but ended up taking a couple of steps further away. 

Arthur wished to say or do something to stop him, but didn't know exactly what, so he just stood there, frozen.

“Well, I... I gotta go,” Merlin said and nearly run through the door without looking back.

“Shit,” Arthur was shaken out of his stupor then. “Shit. Merlin!” When he finally managed to fix his belt and zip up, heading to the door, Merlin was nowhere to be seen. “ _ Fuck! _ ” Arthur cursed, running his hand through his hair.

.Merlin.

Arthur called Merlin, but it went straight to voicemail. He texted him then: ' _ Come back, Merlin. We need to talk. Arthur. _ '

Merlin didn't answer. All of Arthur's messages returned after that and the calls wouldn't get through. It didn't stop Arthur from trying during all the weekend, though.

“Jesus, Arthur, what happened?” Morgana asked on Monday morning as soon as she set eye on him.

Arthur grunted a reply, walking past her towards the kitchen. Unfortunately, Morgana followed him there, which meant Arthur couldn't fetch his brandy bottle from under the sink and would be forced to deal with his hungover while painfully sober.

“Did you talk to Merlin?” Morgana asked.

Arthur squinted at her. “About what?” he asked, suspicious.

Would it be possible that she knew something? Had Merlin told her?

“He showed up here on Friday looking for you,” Morgana said after examining him closely for a few long seconds. “I told him he’d find you at the school.”

“Oh,” Arthur said, turning his attention back to the electric kettle, ignoring the annoying feeling of his sister's searching look. Something occurred to him then and he faced her again. “Have you talked to him after that?”

“Yes,” Morgana shrugged. “Morgause's been wondering if he's interested in writing a column for Avalon and–”

“Did you call him?” Arthur cut her off impatiently.

“No, I texted him. Arthur–”

“When?” Arthur asked, coming closer to her. “When was the last time he answered you?”

“Last night, I guess.”

“Fuck!” Arthur turned his back on Morgana and punched the counter top. Merlin had blocked his phone, it was the only explanation.

“What happened, Arthur?” Morgana sounded genuinely worried, but Arthur was beyond caring.

“Why don't you ask him, since you both are pals now?” Arthur said, busying himself with his tea. He knew it wasn't fair to lash out on Morgana, but it was too late already.

Morgana had clearly smelled something and she wouldn't rest until she found out what it was about.

“I asked,” she said. “He changed topic. I hadn't realized he was avoiding my question until now, to tell you the truth. Arthur, what have you done?”

“And why do you think  _ I'm _ the one who did anything?”

“Because I know you too well.” Morgana held her brother's forearm, forcing him to look at her. “If Morgause hadn't already made a business purpose for Merlin, I would have. And if he refuses it because of you, I swear I won't give you any jobs for the next year – and don't look at me like that, you know very well I don't make promises I can't keep. Whatever happened between the two of you, you better fix it up before I step in.”

Morgana left before Arthur could say something back.

.Merlin.

How Morgana expected Arthur to fix things up if Merlin refused to talk to him? Arthur tried sending him an email, but had no answer. He thought about showing up at his place – he had no problem finding the address on Merlin's chart –, but he knew Merlin lived with his mother and he suspected the boy wouldn't be exactly happy to see him there. Besides, he didn't want to risk a restraining order, after all how was he any different from a stalked, at the moment? Merlin had made it pretty clear he didn't want to talk to him or see him again – and who would blame him for that after what Arthur had done to him?

Arthur followed Merlin's channel on YouTube, looking out for some opportunity to talk to him, but Merlin didn't say anything about going live again. Arthur considered creating an account and leaving a comment on his last video, but Merlin got hundreds of comments on his videos every day, therefore he would hardly read all of them. While going through all of Merlin's profiles again, though, he realized that sometimes the boy answered to some of his fans tweets and decided that this was the best option he had.

While creating an account specially for that, Arthur thought of the irony of the situation. He was no different from another thousands of Merlin's fans, starving for a few seconds of their idol's attention. What could he possibly do to call Merlin's attention on himself, amongst them all?

After some time staring at the computer screen, Arthur found the perfect nickname and signed in on Twitter. Obviously, Merlin could block him there too, for this reason Arthur had to think carefully on his approach. He had one chance and one only, he had to use it wisely.

Only a few days ago, wonder_alice had posted some pictures she had surreptitiously taken of them from that night at the pub. The blurry pictures showed Arthur and Merlin from behind, walking with their arms around each other's shoulders and some of them showed their profile while they kissed. They were of poor quality and had been taken at night and from a distance so there was no way someone could identify him for sure – or Merlin, actually, since there was only the word of a fan to corroborate it –, but Arthur couldn't care less about the possibility of being recognized.

He put one of said blurry pictures on his profile, one that had them almost kissing, and send the following message:

  

**_Aithusa P. Dragon_ ** _ @apdragon _

_ @merlinemrys I’m sorry, I was an ass. Please give me another chance. Call me. #NotThatStraight #GayForYou _

 

And now, all he had to do was wait.

.Merlin.

Arthur's tweet got thousands of likes, retweets, favorites, mentions... It didn't take long for the fans to make the connection between 'Aithusa' and the 'obnoxious blond'. Arthur got numerous replies bearing encouragements, indiscreet questions and even some hostile content – some of the more distrustful fans though he was actually wonder_alice on a fake account, desperately trying to bring more attention to her pictures –, but most of Merlin's fans claimed that they were 'shipping' them together, whatever that possibly meant. There were even some very perceptive people who had managed to make the connection between 'P. Dragon' and Arthur through the credits on Merlin's pictures for Avalon Magazine – they had done a quite in-depth study on the 'theory', coming to the extent of comparing the profile of the man in the pictures with some of Arthur's old Facebook photos. Arthur had to acknowledge that he was thoroughly impressed by Merlin's fans investigative skills.

Yet, none of that was of actual help, since there hadn't been a single word from Merlin. Arthur thought it wasn't very likely that the boy hadn't noticed his message after all that fuss. As it happened, though, it hadn't been enough to break Merlin's resolution.

Arthur had to restrain himself from asking Morgana anything, for it’d mean admitting that he hadn't made any progress with Merlin. Luckily, though, he didn't have to ask.

“Merlin accepted to give it a try with Avalon's column,” Morgana volunteered the following week, while going over some of Arthur's photographs of the day.

Arthur hummed forcing his jaw to relax, acting like he wasn't particularly interested while giving the final touches to the pictures Morgana selected.

“Morgause gave him a whole page, picture included, to cover the opening of that new gallery, themed on political contemporary history. I'm thinking about assigning Gwaine to join him on the event.”

Arthur's whole body tensed this time as he gritted his teeth. “Don’t,” he said before he could stop himself and Morgana stared at him with an arched eyebrow. “Not Gwaine. Just... Not Gwaine, alright?”

“Do you have someone in mind, then?” Morgana asked, sarcastic. “Aithusa, perhaps?”

That made Arthur finally look up, staring at her agape. “What? How did you–”

“I follow Merlin on Twitter,” Morgana clarified nonchalantly. “Besides, you can't hide it when you're into somebody. You were nearly snarling to anyone who dared touching him,” she finished with an eye-roll.

Arthur was about to defend himself, but then he remembered he'd need Morgana's aid if he wanted to have another chance with Merlin and released the air from his lungs, rubbing at his own face. “He won't talk to me, alright?” Arthur confessed and avoided looking at his sister's face, knowing she'd throw accusations at him with a single look. “Yes, I screwed it up. And I  _ am _ trying to fix it, I truly am. Only he won't give me a chance!”

“And why would I force him to put up with you, then?”

Arthur shut his eyes tight. He loathed to beg, especially to his sister, but he was desperate to this point. When he finally looked into her eyes, she had her arms crossed over her chest and looked like someone who wouldn't allow to be convinced that easily. “Morgana, please,” Arthur leaned forward, getting as near her as the desk would allow. “I just want him to listen to what I have to say. I  _ need _ him to.”

Morgana merely stared back at him for a few long seconds before answering. “You listen to me,” she said, pointing an accusing finger at her brother. “I don't care if you'll have to kneel before him and beg for his forgiveness, but you'll patch up things with him. Whatever the cost, you hear me?”

Arthur breathed out, relieved. “I'll do my best.”

“Do better than that.” Morgana grabbed her phone from the desk and got to her feet. “Gwaine'll be in charge of tomorrow's charity event instead of you. Leon's already busy with this week's fashion shows. And you owe me one, little brother.”

Arthur nodded gravely, torn between gratitude and apprehension. That would probably costs him a kidney, but he'd give it willingly.

.Merlin.

“Whatever you're planning on saying, don't,” Merlin said decisively as soon as he got in the car.

He had shaved, despite what he had said over his live broadcast, a few weeks prior. Arthur experienced some sense of loss which lasted only until he realized how the boy's cheekbones seemed to stand up more than ever. Merlin was dressed in a tailored suit and Arthur wondered if he had rented it for the occasion or if it was Morgause who had arranged it for him. Arthur could bet all his money on the late option, since the suit seemed to be custom-made. In fact, he suspected Morgana was somehow involved in it too.

“Merlin, I–”

“I said  _ don't _ .” Merlin stared at him resolutely. “Listen closely for I won't say it twice. This job's really important to me, otherwise I wouldn't have accepted going with you. I don't want to hear a word coming from your mouth that isn't related to work. If you don't agree with my terms, I'll get off this car and take a fucking cab. Do we have a deal?”

Arthur's nostrils flared as he tensed up his jaw. “As you wish,” he granted, though grudgingly.

“Great.” Merlin buckled up and folded up his arms, looking outside the window.

Arthur huffed and shook his head, starting up the car engine. He knew for sure that frustration and regret would come next, but all he could feel now was anger.

The event was pure torture. Merlin was polite and friendly with others, giving away dimpled and wrinkled-eyes smiles freely, but he made sure to look cold and distant every time their eyes met. Arthur knew he deserved that, but he started to ask himself if it was really worth the humiliation.

Why, who was he trying to fool? Arthur would be capable of kneeling right there, in the middle of the museum, if he knew that'd make any difference. Yet, he knew this was hardly the moment. Merlin would never forgive him if he ruined that opportunity for him and, for this reason, Arthur resigned himself to withstand the vengeful cold shoulder and hope for a better shot later in the evening.

The opportunity came by the end of the event, as soon as they left the gallery, when Merlin spun around in the middle of the street to stare at him. “Well, thank you for your professionalism, I guess. I'll get a cab now,” he was about to turn his back on him again when Arthur reached for his forearm.

“Merlin, please. Don't make me beg here, in the middle of the street.”

For a moment, it seemed as if Merlin would do just that, but then he looked away, breathing through his flared nostrils. “Alright, let's get out of here.”

They walked over to Arthur's car in silence, hands in their pockets and keeping a calculated distance between each other.

“Do you want to go out for a drink?” Arthur asked, but Merlin shook his head.

“I don't think that'd be a good idea.”

Arthur put Aithusa in the trunk before getting in the car, closing the door. The traffic noise was reduced to a barely-there background noise. Merlin had already settled himself on the passenger seat, his arms stubbornly crossed and his eyes fixed ahead.

Arthur moved to start the car, but turned around to face Merlin. “I was a jerk,” he stated, earning a snort from Merlin.

“You don't tell me,” Merlin said, sardonic. “Just to clear it out, are you saying it on a general sense or are you referring to something in specific?”

Arthur opened his mouth to reply, but Merlin continued talking before he had the chance.

“I have to say, it was pretty obvious to me the moment we met, with you trying to throw me out of  _ your father's _ building and everything. But still, I didn't believe you'd be capable of using me the way you did, Arthur. You  _ flirted _ with me; I didn't make up that message you left me on my computer. And all that talk about your camera being bisexual? I thought you were talking about yourself! And, alright, maybe you flirt with everybody, but not only you kissed me back but you also started it the other day! Do you happen to snog all the other guys too? Do you let them blow you too, or only those who  _ beg for it _ like I did?”

“No!” Arthur shouted, indignant. “Merlin, I don't–”

“And then, as if it weren't enough, you also used  _ my own fans _ against me! Did you really think it'd work? Did you really thought all it'd take was a few well chosen words and hashtags and it'd be all forgotten?”

Arthur sighed before Merlin's wounded look. He waited to see if there was more to come, but it seemed he had finished his outburst.

“Listen, Merlin,” Arthur started again. “I understand that you're not willing to believe anything coming out of my mouth right now, but I need you to truly listen to what I have to say. If you don't want to see me after that, fine, I'll respect your decision.”

Merlin didn't say anything after that, but Arthur chose to take it as a permission to go on.

“I  _ am _ straight,” Arthur said and watched when Merlin flinched, as if he had been physically hurt by the words. “Or at least that's what I thought until I met  _ you _ . I know it might look like I was flirting with Mordred, but believe me when I say that's _ not like that _ . Mordred and I are friends and he's well aware of that. I don't... I'm not... Fuck,” Arthur hit the steering wheel with the heel of his hand in a frustrated gesture. “Look, I suck at this, alright? I don't know how to express myself without a camera in front of me, but you're absolutely right, I  _ was _ flirting with you. At the beginning it was only teasing, but then it got serious at some point, and it isn't just because you're physically attractive, but...” Arthur cut himself short at hearing Merlin skeptical huff.

Arthur stared at him for a moment, but Merlin averted his eyes.

“Merlin, I can't believe you still have any doubts about it,” he said, incredulous. “Have you seen your pictures? I mean, have you really looked at them? Merlin, do you have any idea how many times I jerked off to your photographs?”

Merlin looked at him after that, his eyes round with shock. It was hard to say it for sure for it was dark in the car, but Arthur though he could see him flushing. He recovered quickly, though. “That's not very professional of you, is it?” he said, suspicious.

“I  _ know _ , right?” Arthur admitted quite exasperatedly. “I swear it didn't happen since I was a student shooting models parading in lacy underwear, but there's something about you, Merlin...” He let his eyes run over Merlin's face as if trying to find an answer there. “I don't know exactly what it is, but it gets to me.”

“What do you want from me, Arthur?” This time, Merlin sounded almost too tired to bother. “Because if this is only an experiment to you, I don't think I can–”

“No,”  Arthur interrupted him. “It's not just an experiment. I already said it, I want another chance. I want you. I want everything with you. I want to take you out on a date; I want to get to know you better; I want to make you smile with your eyes and showing your teeth; I want to kiss you... God, I want to kiss you so much.”

Merlin looked down on Arthur's lips then, his mouth hanging slightly open. That reaction encouraged Arthur to lean over towards Merlin, shifting on the seat until he got as closer as he could without trespassing Merlin's personal space.

“I can't stop thinking about it since that night at the pub. Your mouth already turned me on before, Merlin, but now that I know how it is to kiss you, to fuck your mouth, I can't think about anything else.”

Arthur watched as Merlin's pupils expanded, his chest heaving. Arthur moved closer still and Merlin let his head fall to the headrest, but made no move to back away.

“I get rock hard just by looking at your  _ face _ , Merlin. Just by remembering you sucking me off and looking me in the eye.”

Merlin cleared his throat. “For someone who can't express themselves without their camera, you're doing just fine without Aithusa,” Merlin joked, but he looked serious and wouldn't stop staring at Arthur's mouth.

“I'm going to kiss you now, Merlin.”

“Please do,” Merlin whispered his consent and Arthur took action.

It was a desperate, nearly aggressive kiss. Arthur sucked and bit Merlin's lips until they were bruised and swollen. He wanted to climb over Merlin or pull him onto his lap, but he refrained from it. There was something he needed to do first of all.

“I believe I'm in debt with you,” Arthur said into Merlin's lips. “And I always pay my debts.”

“Huh?” Merlin asked somewhat dazedly.

“I want to make you come,” Arthur breathed over Merlin's neck, close to his ear. “Can I?”

“Yes,” Merlin said and Arthur resumed snogging him, reaching for his belt. “Hey, wait,” Merlin moved back, stopping him and looking around. It was short past nine o'clock and there was still a few people walking in and out of the museum, along with the constant traffic flow on the street. “Here? Seriously?”

“No one can see past those windows,” Arthur assured him and Merlin let go of his hands after a brief hesitation.

Arthur unbuckled Merlin's belt and pulled his briefs down, gripping his almost fully erect cock. It was awkward to touch another man's penis, but not in an unpleasant way.  _ I know how to do this _ , Arthur told himself while holding it experimentally at first, pulling the foreskin down to uncover the head, shining with pre-come. Merlin was slimmer and shorter than Arthur, but it somehow fitted him. Arthur slid his thumb over the head, smearing the moisture through the shaft, then gave a few tentative jerks, keeping his hold firm around it. He looked up to Merlin at hearing him gasp.

Merlin's eyes were glowing in the semi darkness inside the car, his lips slightly parted, his head thrown over the headrest. The angle was perfect and the light filtering through the dark glass completed the intimacy of the scene, the shine just enough to reveal the desire Merlin wasn't trying to disguise. Arthur clicked his imaginary camera.

“Lick,” Arthur commanded, letting go of him for a moment to hold his open palm in front of Merlin's face.

Merlin grabbed his hand and licked if from heel to the tip of his fingers, wrapping his lips around the second and third finger and sucking them while keeping their eyes locked. Arthur grunted, his own cock twitching in his increasingly tight pants. When Merlin released his hand, Arthur pulled him in by the neck, kissing him deeply as he resumed jerking him off with long, slow movements at first.

“Tell me how you like it,” Arthur said into Merlin's mouth.

“Faster,” Merlin said and Arthur complied, kissing him fiercely as he sped up his movements.

Merlin moaned and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, pulling him closer. Arthur ignored the discomfort of keeping his body twisted like that, shoving his tongue in Merlin's mouth and allowing him to suck on it.

“Jesus, Merlin,” Arthur gasped as he brought his mouth closer to Merlin's ear. “I want to fuck you senseless.”

“Yes,” Merlin said with a shudder.

“Do you want me to fuck you?”

“Yes, Arthur.”

Arthur proceeded to tell him precisely how he wanted to do it, then, twisting his hand on the upstroke like he did to himself when he wanted to come quickly; he said how he'd take Merlin to his place, tell him to strip slowly while he photographed him; how he'd make Merlin moan and beg for Arthur to fuck him; how he'd make him come on his dick crying out his name–

Merlin came with a gasp. Arthur looked down to watch as Merlin's penis pulsed and he spilled his seed over the front of his shirt, his pants and Arthur's hand.

“Oh, bugger,” Merlin groaned, dropping his hands at his sides when Arthur finally let go of him, reaching for a tissue on the glove box to clean his hand. “My brand new suit...”

“Send me the bill from the dry cleaner's,” Arthur said, handing the tissue to Merlin after cleaning himself.

“I surely will,” Merlin assured, wiping the drying cum as best as he could before tossing the dirty cloth on the car floor and zipping up his trousers.

Arthur started the car and turned on the air conditioning in an attempt to pull himself together. He was sweating under his own suit, painfully hard and desperate for some friction, but he had already told himself to put up with that for the evening. It was Merlin's turn and his only. After all, it was only fair after what Arthur had put him through.

“Did you really mean it? Those hashtags?”

Arthur turned to Merlin, who was staring at him with such an open and vulnerable expression, Arthur felt his chest tighten with something close to fear. “Yes,” he answered bravely. “But only for you.”

Merlin bit his lower lip. “So...” he said, fastening the seat-belt with a sigh. “Are you gonna take me to your place or what?”

“My place?” Arthur asked, surprised.

“Well, you don't really believe I'm gonna show up home covered in cum and smelling of sex like this, do you?” Merlin pointed to the whitish stains on his trousers.

“Well, now that you mentioned it,” Arthur buckled up too and switched the gear shift.

“But don't think for a moment that you're excused from taking me on a date, sometime soon.”

“I wouldn't dream of it!”

.M.

Arthur pulled a still half-dressed Merlin onto his bed, laying on top of him to kiss him. They helped each other undress between heated kisses and then Arthur kneeled on the mattress to stare at a gloriously naked Merlin from head to toe. He was gorgeous, just how Arthur pictured him. Arthur backed off to the edge of the bed to better appreciate the sight as a whole.

“What're you doing?” Merlin asked, slightly alarmed.

“Framing you,” Arthur said and raised his hands in front of his own face, mimicking a frame with his fingers, as if trying to fit him into the borders of his imaginary camera. He watched Merlin smile. “Perfect. Aithusa would have loved the sight.” Arthur crawled back on the mattress until he was hovering over him. “Unfortunately for her, I don't like to share.”

Merlin tugged him down for another kiss, hooking his ankles behind Arthur's calves when he lowered himself over Merlin, grinding their hips together. He never though two male bodies could fit together so perfectly like that. Arthur bit and sucked light bruises on Merlin's neck and collarbone. “How do you want to do it?” Arthur asked, watching the reddish marks on the boy's neck, already mournful that they'd soon disappear.

Merlin surprised him by shoving him back, flipping them around and straddling Arthur's waist. “Like this,” he answered with a naughty grin, rubbing himself down on Arthur's erection. “Do you have lube?”

“First drawer,” Arthur said, pointing to the nightstand.

Merlin lifted his hips just enough to reach for the lube and a condom. Arthur watched closely while he ripped up the wrapper with his teeth and rolled the condom down on Arthur's cock. He reached behind himself with his lubed up fingers, then.

“Let me do this for you,” Arthur said, propping himself up on his elbows, gesturing for Merlin to come closer and taking the lube from his hand.

With his face only inches away from Merlin's erect penis, Arthur groped him between the buttocks until he found his opening, slipping his own slicked fingers inside his tight asshole, one at the time. Merlin's breathing was erratic and he gripped hard at Arthur's shoulders while he shamelessly fucked himself on Arthur's fingers. Arthur watched as a drop of pre-come escaped the slit of his cock, taking in the musky scent of his groin. When he added a third finger, the boy's fingers curved into claws and he gasped, his muscles tensing at the intrusion. Arthur bent down and licked the tip of his cock, tasting the bitter drop of liquid and finding it wasn't as unpleasant as he anticipated. Merlin gasped again and his cock twitched – as did his internal muscles – while their eyes met. Holding Merlin's gaze, Arthur licked him again, wrapping his lips around the tip of his cockhead and exploring the smooth texture lazily with his tongue.

“Arthur!” Merlin panted, letting his head fall back and moaning.

When Arthur lapped at the inside of Merlin's glans and sucked hard, Merlin grabbed fistfuls of his hair and forced him to look up. Letting go of him.

“That's enough. I'm ready,” he stated, positioning himself.

Arthur held his own penis in place and grunted when Merlin lowered down slowly, enveloping him gradually in a nearly painful grip. There were shining drops of sweat gathering on Merlin's forehead when his hip finally met Arthur’s groin.

“You're so fucking big,” Merlin panted. He didn't seem to be complaining, though. Quite the contrary, actually. “And it's been some time since I've last done it,” he admitted, taking deep breaths before starting to move, his cock bobbing up and down as he did.

Arthur was mesmerized, unable to decide where to look at. He wanted to take it all in, burn it on his retinas to watch over and over again. He wanted to photograph Merlin right there, riding his dick as if he was born for this. Suddenly, Arthur regretted not having met Merlin before. Since Merlin had blown him, two weeks earlier, it became clear to him that he had done that before, probably several times. And, if he hadn't known before, he'd have learned it by Merlin's statement that he hadn't had sex in a while. He knew it to be selfish of him, but he wished to have been Merlin's first – not to say the only one.

Instead of saying that, though, Arthur took advantage of the moment Merlin stopped moving to shift his knees forward and held the boy's hips in place, bucking up into him.

Merlin cried out and clawed Arthur's biceps. “There! Right there,” he approved and Arthur grunted, careful not to change the angle while fucking him hard, feeling his own orgasm building.

Eyes closed tight, Merlin touched himself with quick, short tugs, his breathing coming out on ragged puffs, his mouth hanging open. The sounds that escaped his throat every time Arthur touched that spot inside him were maddening. Sweat gathered on Arthur's forehead as he pumped into Merlin increasingly faster.

Merlin came with a startled gasp, opening his eyes and holding Arthur's gaze while meeting his jerks. Arthur allowed him to move until he had emptied himself over Arthur's stomach, then pulled him in for a messy kiss.

Merlin hummed, bringing their foreheads together and breathing into his cheek, trying to catch his breath. “Wanna come in my mouth again? At my face? Anywhere's fine with me.”

“ _ Mer _ lin,” with a snarl, Arthur rose up, flipping them back around. The sudden movement caused him to slip out of Merlin and he took the condom off, touching himself as he kissed that gorgeous mouth of his. Arthur spilled his cum over the hollow of Merlin's groin and then backed off to admire his work for a moment.

Merlin managed to look even better all disheveled, sweaty and dirty like that.

Arthur collapsed on the mattress beside him, next. He hummed contently when Merlin cleaned the mess of drying semen off his belly with a corner of the sheets.

“So?” Merlin said after some time, propping his head up in one of his bent arms to stare at him. “Any post-sex epiphanies?”

“What?” Arthur asked, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Well, if I got it right, this was your first time with a guy,” he shrugged. “Are you having second thoughts yet?” He was trying to sound casual, but Arthur figured that he was genuinely worried by the way he avoided his eyes.

“It wasn't bad,” Arthur said, mimicking Merlin's casual tone.

Merlin stared at him with a cocked eyebrow. “It wasn't bad? That's all you have to say?”

“Yeah,” Arthur shrugged. “But I'm not sure if that's what I want, to be honest.”

Merlin blinked, taken aback. “Oh,” he said and, for a moment, Arthur recognized that look on his face. It was the same hurt look he gave when Arthur said he was straight.

Merlin was about to back away when Arthur rolled on top of him again, taking him by surprise. “I think I'll have to do it again,” he said, scratching his teeth across Merlin's neck. “And again. And again. Until I make up my mind.”

Merlin breathed out then, looking relieved. He smelled of sweat and sex, but not in a disgusting way. “You asshole!” He punched Arthur's shoulder a couple of times, but ended up looping his arms around the blond's torso, bringing him in for a slow and deep kiss. He sighed as he leaned away. “I'd stay here snogging you forever, but I couldn't eat a thing before leaving home and now I'm starving,” he said in an excusing tone.

“Feeling sorry for dismissing that date?” Arthur said playfully.

“Perhaps a bit. There's a reason why people go on dates first and than go to bed, you know? It's the natural order of things.”

“I see,” Arthur nodded, considering it for a moment. “Well, I can't change the past – and I'm not really sure I would if I could, but...” Arthur reached for his phone. “How do you feel about pizza?”

“I think it's a great idea!” Merlin sowed his teeth on a shit-eating grin.

.M.

They had pizza in front of the TV and bantered about, then went back to bed for a second round, falling asleep in each other's arms next, content and spent.

On the following day, Arthur sent Merlin's suit to the laundry facility and forbid him to leave his bed until his clothes were back, taking the opportunity to take a few pictures of Merlin sprawled out on his bed with only the thin sheets to cover strategical places, flushed from recent activities and shaggy haired.

Arthur promised Merlin – and himself – that those pictures would never go to public. If it was up to him, Aithusa would be the only witness of that moment besides the both of them.

.Merlin.

**Two months later...**

Arthur was finishing downloading the day's photographs when he heard Morgana's laugh. He looked up to see his sister walking in the office arm-in-arm with no other than Merlin.

“Your favorite model's here,” Morgana told him, offering Merlin a conspiratorial smile before untangling herself from his arm, mentioning something about having an appointment as she walked away, but not before winking at her little brother.

“What're you doing here?” Arthur asked Merlin. “Did something happen?”

“No, nothing.” Merlin slipped his hands in his pockets, shrugging. “I had to come to a meeting with Morgause, so I thought I could stop by to see you guys.” He swung at the balls of his feet.

Arthur assessed him for a moment, folding his arms over his chest as he laid back on the chair. “Are you nervous?” he asked.

Merlin's tense smile dismantled as he huffed. “Terribly,” he admitted, helping himself to a chair, apparently tired of waiting for Arthur to invite him to sit down. “It's as if I have never done it before. Bollocks. Is it always gonna be like this?”

Merlin had scheduled another live broadcast that night, after some persistent pressure from his fans, but he kept saying how awfully wrong it could go. Ever since the pictures of them leaving the pub had leaked, people wouldn't stop pestering him to tell them more about his personal life, but he refused to accept he'd have to deal with that kind of attention from now on.

“It'll get better with time,” Arthur said, leaning forward to support his elbows on top of the desk. “And then there are going to be bigger challenges. Have you considered that TV channel's proposal?”

Merlin had been recently invited to attend an interview on a talk-show. It wasn't live, but it had an actual audience when shooting, which made Merlin edgy just by considering accepting.

“I don't know if it's a good idea...” Merlin said, biting his lower lip.

“I can go with you, if you'd like,” Arthur offered. “I could stay backstage or ask for a seat on the audience, so you have someone to look at.”

Merlin smiled at that, mimicking Arthur's pose as he leaned over the desk, bringing their faces only inches apart. The office was quite busy at the time, but Arthur couldn't care less if anyone saw them. It wasn't as if they didn't know it already.

“Thanks,” Merlin said. “I'll think about it.”

“Good.”

As a matter of fact, Arthur's motives weren't as selfless as he made it sound like. He wasn't offering to accompany him only for moral support, but also because he couldn't bear the thought of people harassing Merlin and he'd rather make sure to be there in case he needed to intervene – how, exactly, he didn't know.

Merlin didn't have to know that, though.

“I could go to your place tonight too, if you want me to,” Arthur acted nonchalant.

Merlin frowned. “Before the broadcast?”

“Before it, during it...” Arthur shrugged. “Whatever you'd like. Whatever makes you feel more confident.”

“Er... I don't think that'd be a good idea,” Merlin said, scratching the back of his head. “I don't think I'd be more at ease with you behind the camera.”

Arthur blinked, backing off again. “ _ Behind _ the camera?” he asked, outraged. “You really don't want people to see me on your videos, is that it?”

“Do  _ you _ want to be seen?” It was Merlin's turn to look confused. “I thought that– I didn't think you–”

“You know what, forget it,” Arthur cut him off, focusing back on his computer screen again, annoyed.

Ever since wonder_alice had posted those pictures, people wouldn't stop asking who was the mysterious – and rude, according to the girls reporting – blond. Arthur's tweet had only added fuel to the fire, especially after Merlin had started following @apdragon. Arthur sometimes tweeted something only to remind people that he was still around and that he and Merlin were still together, but Merlin rarely answered his tweets publicly, reasoning that he'd rather not having thousands of people commenting on something as personal as their relationship.

“You really want to take part in it?” Merlin asked after a long silence.

“It's not just about that,” Arthur said, still sulking. “Have you seen how many people commented on your last post? About  _ us _ ? You'll have to give them something at some point, Merlin. Why not now?”

Alright, maybe he was being deliberately manipulative now. He was blaming it all on others when in truth he was dying to show all those people that he was real and that they should stop hitting on his boyfriend now, because there was no way Arthur would clear the way for any of them.

Despite that, Merlin seemed to have seen reason on his arguments. “Okay, fine. You're right. I'll be waiting for you around eight, then.”

.M.

Arthur headed for Merlin's place straight from work, arriving a quarter past seven. Hunith welcomed him kindly as ever, offering him tea and asking if he'd stay for dinner after Merlin's broadcast. When he went up to Merlin's room, it was about seven thirty.

“Come in,” Merlin said when Arthur knocked at the open door, not taking his eyes from the computer.

“Hey,” Arthur greeted, walking up to him and kissing his cheek.

Merlin continued punching furiously at his keyboard. “Just a sec,” he mumbled.

It was clear by the way Merlin was shaking his leg that he was a nervous wreck. Arthur stripped off his jacket and hung it at the back of Merlin's chair, sitting down at the edge of the bed and looking around. Merlin's room was small, but cozy and well-organized. Instead of band or celebrity posters hanging on the walls, there were shelves crammed with books, a couple of framed certificates and diplomas and a map of England with some pictures of historical monuments and political personalities pinned to it.

As soon as he finished typing, Merlin logged in on YouTube and adjusted the camera to better frame him. Arthur could see himself reflected on the computer screen right behind Merlin.

“And... done!” Merlin stated after fixing his hair and only then did he spin around on his chair to face Arthur. “So, what do you think?” he pointed at himself. He was wearing jeans and a plaid unbuttoned shirt over a white undershirt.

Arthur tilted his head to the side as if examining him carefully. “Come here,” he gestured for Merlin to come closer.

“What is it?” Merlin said as he stood up, frowning. “Did I spill tomato sauce on my shirt? Mum’s gonna kill me–”

When he was at reaching distance, Arthur grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around, pushing him towards the bed. Merlin fell on his back with a startled yelp.

“I think you're too tense,” Arthur said with a crooked grin, taking advantage of his stunned lack of reaction to lay down on top of him.

“Don't even think about it,” Merlin said then, placing his open palms on Arthur's pectorals and trying to push him away. “You'll crumple my shirt! And mess my hair!” Merlin struggled to escape from under him, but Arthur merely nuzzled at his neck, unfazed.

“You know how much I like to see you all debauched,” Arthur said, kissing his jawline. “Aithusa too, so I think it's safe to say that your camera won't complain either.”

“ _ Ar _ thur!” Merlin shook him. “I'm not kidding! I have a broadcast in a few minutes!”

“Relax, we have enough time,” Arthur fit himself between Merlin's legs, grinding their hips together.

“Twenty minutes, Arthur. Only fucking twenty minutes!”

“We better don't waste any time, then.”

Arthur kissed him and Merlin groaned, but corresponded for a second before pushing away. “My mother's downstairs!”

“We can be quiet. Besides, I locked the door.”

Arthur kissed him again, but Merlin shoved at him a second time. “Let me at least turn the camera off.”

“Don't mind the fucking camera, Merlin. Keep your eyes on me.”

This time, it was Merlin who pulled him in for a slightly desperate kiss after a brief hesitation. Arthur lifted his hips just enough to reach for Merlin's fly, pulling his cock free. He jacked him off with a little help of saliva while snogging him and sucking at the tender spot on Merlin's neck near his hairline. No sound could be listened in the room apart from their heavy breathing and a light squeak of the bed once in awhile.

Arthur had the presence of mind to roll Merlin's shirt up his torso to avoid messing it up.

“Come for me, Merlin,” Arthur whispered into Merlin's ear when he noticed he was close and kissed him to muffle his moan then he came.

“I hate you,” Merlin said without heat to it when he slumped bonelessly on the mattress.

“See, you look pretty relaxed now,” Arthur said as he gazed at him with a smug smile on his lips, grabbing the first piece of cloth he found on the dresser – a boxer short – to clean him up. “No need to thank me.”

Merlin grunted and pushed him away, sitting up and zipping up his fly. “I should let you deal with it by yourself,” he said, although he was already getting on his knees at the edge of the mattress and opening Arthur's fly. “You better come in five or that's exactly what I'll do.”

Arthur's head hit the mattress when Merlin swallowed his achingly hard cock with little delicacy. He closed his eyes shut for a moment, concentrating on the feeling only, but he soon found that he  _ needed _ to look. Propping himself up on his elbows, Arthur stared Merlin in the eye. Merlin looked right back at him, watching closely while his tongue and lips worked wonders. Arthur looked up still, until he was facing the computer screen at the background, showing the image captured by the camera: Merlin with his ass up in the air, his head bobbing up and down. Merlin's body blocked any indiscreet view, but anyone who'd see them like that would know for sure exactly what was going on.

Arthur wished Merlin's fans could see them now. And, at the same time, he didn't want to share that with anyone in the entire world.

Arthur griped a fistful of Merlin's hair and threw his head back as he came.

Merlin kept sucking him to the last drop and then released him with a 'pop', wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “You better behave yourself now or I swear I'll kick you out of my room,” he said warningly while attempting to straighten up his hair again.

.M.

Arthur behaved just fine. He pulled a chair next to Merlin, hooking one arm around his neck. He was a model of patience, politeness and attentiveness, answering a few harmless questions about himself, his profession, his own political convictions, all that while staring right through Merlin's face at the camera.

No matter how hard Merlin had tried to pull himself together after the sex, Merlin's hair remained shaggy, his lips slightly swollen, his clothes crumpled and – he probably hadn't noticed it yet or he'd have found a way of reprimanding Arthur for it – he had a hickey on his pulse point, going more noticeable by the minute as it turned a stronger shade of purple – if Merlin asked, Arthur would swear he hadn't done it on purpose. Besides all that, the bed cover was still rumpled in the background and Arthur had made sure of bending down a couple of times with the pretext of fixing his shoes, so that people would notice it.

Most of Merlin's fans didn't pay attention to those detail, but some of them did take notice of one or another and they'd all soon put it all together. Every time there was some suggestive comment or a straightforward question, Arthur would smile mischievously and Merlin would blush, jumping to the next comment.

“Stop looking so smug,” Merlin whispered between his gritted teeth sometime after rafikisquashbanana wrote: ' _ OMG, you really just shagged, didn't you, you cheeky, naughty buggers? Lol! _ '

“I'm not!” Arthur defended himself promptly.

But he sure was. And he made a point of letting rafikisquashbanana know that.

.The End.

**Author's Note:**

> Just some random curiosity, the nicknames are based on various Disney movies' characters.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
